


Trouble Won't Last Always

by Unseen_MrStanton



Category: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Attempted Rape, Betrayal, Between Rey & Finn, Eventual Smut, Explicit Sexual Content, F/F, F/M, Finn experiences love for the first time, Force bond between Finn & Rey, Force-Sensitive Chirrut Îmwe, Force-Sensitive Finn, Harsh Language, Lots of Touching, Love Confessions, M/M, Prison, Redefining the Force, Sexual Slavery, Sexual Violence, That's Not How The Force Works, There will be at least one scene of rape, doing my own thing, unconventional romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-16
Updated: 2018-09-02
Packaged: 2019-04-23 18:59:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 8
Words: 26,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14338968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Unseen_MrStanton/pseuds/Unseen_MrStanton
Summary: FN-2187 was raised to do only one thing: Fight for the First Order to their Victory or his death. And now that he's been assigned to work as a Prison Guard, 'Rehabilitating' Political Prisoners, it would seem that death would be his only Legacy. But, things begin to change when the Prison, 'Pendulum' receives it's next batch of Scum... Particularly that one that calls herself 'Rey'.





	1. Just another day on the job

**Author's Note:**

> I've been brainstorming for an idea for a new Fic, and this is what I came up with. 
> 
> Warning! This story will feature a lot of Violence, Rape, Torture, and discussions of Brutality. As this is set in a war torn galaxy and plus in a Prison. 
> 
> If you're still interested in continuing on, Please Enjoy!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nightmares and headaches on the Job!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning! Scenes of blood and Abuse!

_A little boy is standing in the middle of a field, covering in what seems to be blood. He has dark skin, and his eyes are filled with horror as he stands completely petrified by whatever horrible thing he just witnessed._

_Lying in front of him are two bodies, who also share his dark skin. He looks down at his hands and their are both covered completely in their blood._

_Behind him, two shadows loom over him._

"H _uh." Someone says. "The kid didn't try to run away."_

_"That's a surprise." The Other one says. "Usually, the kids hightail it, especially when they're with their folks."_

_"Yeah." First Person says. "I mean, look at him. He's not even shaking. Kid must be scared stiff."_  

_"Hey, You!" The Second Voice shouts._

_But, the kid doesn't respond._

_"Hey!" The Second Person says. "I'm talking to you!" He approaches the boy, his boots stomping in the dirt road._

_But, still, the kid doesn't respond at all._

_The Second Guy pushes him to the ground. Still terrified, the kid finally looks up at the two people harassing him. Two Men, dressed in white armor with scary masks stand over him, blaster pointed right in his face._

_"Yeah. I don't think this one would gives us too much trouble." The First Trooper says._

_"If you don't count the fact that he's probably hard of hearing!" The Second Trooper Spits._

_"Well, that's alright! I'm sure Ducain could figure something out." The First Trooper promises. "Let's get him back to the Ship. I'm sure Ducain would love to meet him."_

_Both Troopers then Reaches for him._

 

A Loud Fanfare startles FN-2187 out of his slumber. A bright light to his left almost blinds him. 

' _Good morning, FN-2187! FN-2003!'_  A Computerized Cheery Voice exclaims. _'It's a brand new day in the glorious First Order!'_

FN-2187 wipes his face and rubs his eyes. 'I had the dream again.' He thinks to himself as the broadcast continues, drowned out while he was in deep thought. 'Why am I haunted by that image? I've never experienced anything like that. Need to be sure to talk with Phasma about that.'

' _And, remember, Supreme Leader Snoke has all the confidence in the world in you! You are the blaze that will consume all Rebel scum! Now, Start your day with your heads held high and the pride of Snoke in your hearts!'_ The Broadcast shuts off, Dropping the room in darkness again.

"Welcome to Pendulum." FN-2187 Mumbles to himself.

Sitting on the top bunk, 2187 swings his legs on the side and hops down.

Still, lying in the bottom bunk, with a pillow covering his face, FN-2003 Sighs loudly. "It's the same Goddamn thing every morning!" He throws the pillow onto the floor. "Why can't it ever be something gentle? Like, a quiet melody? Or maybe a soothing waterfall?"

"You want a waterfall, go visit a planet that has one." FN-2187 comments.

"Can't. We're not allow any time off!" FN-2003 says as he finally rolls out of bed.

"The Downside of War." FN-2187 says.

"Ah! What's it good for?!" FN-2003 shouts.

FN-2187 sighs. "Come on, Slip!"

 

Now, fully dressed in the same armor 2187 saw in his dream, Both he and 'Slip' walk down a long, white hallway. They carry their helmets in their hands.

"Look, I'm just saying. If they want us alert, then maybe scaring us to death may not be the best way to do that." Slip says.

"Hey, man. I'm just here to do a job. Yeah, the whole early morning broadcast is a bit old, but I don't make the rules." 2187 Says.

They enter into a large lounge, with others troopers socialize and eat breakfast. 2187 quickly scans the room.

"Oh, thank goodness." 2187 says to himself. "Looks like we beat Mock here."

Slip sighs in relief. "Well, at least we're starting the morning off on the right feet."

They stand in the chow line, behind two other troopers who were talking to one another, but have now turned, giving 2187 and Slip their full attention.

"Dammit." Slip mumbles.

"Thank you for that, Slip." 2187 says.

"Well!" Nines says. "'87! '03! How are you boys this morning?"

"Don't even start that right now, Nines!" 2187 says.

"Uh-oh!" Zeroes says sarcastically. "What's wrong? Cleaning out shit in E block have you boys up all night?"

"Come on! Cut that out, Zeroes!" Slip warns.

"Hey, it's not that big a deal!" Nines says. "We've all had to work the mops at some point! Last night was just you're turn." Nines then leans into 2187's ear, Whispering "And, maybe next time you feel the need to talk about what goes on around here to Phasma, you'll remember that we outrank you... Garage boy."

"Care to repeat that?" Another voice asks.

"Mind your own Goddamn-" Nines stops himself when he realizes who he was just addressing. "Commander Dawn!"

FN-2201, nicknamed, 'Dawn' stands there, staring Nines in the face. "My own Goddamn what?!"

Nines flinches. "I apologize, Ma'am. I didn't know you were there."

"Clearly." Dawn says. "You should watch that tongue before it digs your grave for you. And maybe you'll remember that I outrank you whenever you feel the need to threaten any of my troopers in my presence."

Clearly shaken, Nines and Zeroes grab their trays and walk off without another word. 

"Enjoy your breakfast, Gentlemen!" Dawn says in a delightful tone. With a smile, Dawn turns to 2187 and Slip and nods her head. 2187 and Slip return the gesture, with genuine smiles on their own faces.

"How would you like her as your best friend?" Slip asks.

"After what you just heard, How could you think she isn't?" 2187 asks back.

"Good Morning, all!" A loud, authoritative voice rings out. Every trooper immediately shouts their mouths and raises to their feet. Everyone in the chow line steps away and stands at attention. Even Nines and Zeroes drop their trays onto their table before they could sit down and stand upright.

The Cafeteria is quiet. No one makes a sound. Not one word is utter. It's just dead silence, except for boots marching towards the north wall that belong to the warden of Pendulum Prison, OD-3477 A.K.A. "Mock".

"Brothers and Sisters! It is with great pride that I say that you all have done an incredible service to your Supreme Leader! Because of the long hours and the many nights you've had without much sleep... Or without any sleep, your efforts have paid off in such a way that our own Supreme Leader Snoke will forever be indebted to you! He said so himself, by the way." He says with a smile.

Some Troopers actually giggle at that.

"Thanks to your efforts, Storm troopers all over the galaxy have tracked down and have put an end to thousands of Rebel Cells!"

The Room suddenly erupts with loud cheers. People are shouting, clapping, stomping their feet, and hitting the tables surrounding Mock. Mock smiles and nods his head. Everyone is pleased to know that because of their work here at  _Pendulum_ , triple maximum security prison planet has made their Supreme Leader very happy. Everyone... except for 2187. He looks down in shame over the news that so many people have died. It was because of what Guys like Nines and Zeroes do and have done to those poor prisoners, who are only locked up for speaking out against the First Order... Because of what the First Order had done and what they do.

Slip notices his friend in such low spirits and stops cheering. Gradually, the cheering stops all together.

"Yes! You should feel proud of yourselves! For this is a victory not only for those Troopers out there, but for those of us who are right here on Pendulum. But, there is still so much more work to be done before we regain absolute control over the galaxy again. And a lot of it has to be done right here. So, enjoy your breakfast and eat it slowly! For today is a great day to be apart of the First Order!"

"Sir, Yes, Sir!!" Everyone says in perfect unison. And they quickly resume their activities before Mock walked in. Slip looks over at 2187, who returns the look, but says nothing at all.

 

The day goes on as they all do, Getting the Prisoners up, marching them down to the cafeteria, getting them to work, Lunch, yard time, back to work, dinner, back to work, and then lights out.

2187 always made it a habit to try and keep account of who each Prisoner was and which cell blocks they came from. And, should anyone go missing, if even for a few minutes, 2187 was on it. He would spend a lot of time out of his days, trying to find the missing prisoners before someone told him to mind his own business and get back to work himself.

This is a Prison Planet. There are quite literally millions of Political Prisoners here, so it's not really anyone's' fault when a prisoner goes missing for a few minutes (or hours) before being spotted in their cell or at work. (With fresh bruises, 2187 notices.) Or is found dead.

Usually, there are protocols put in place whenever a dead body is found, but if that dead body should belong to a prisoner, then it's no big deal. (Since they're all scum, being found dead was their own fault.) But, may the Force be there for anyone should a Storm trooper be found dead anywhere at anytime! 'No one kills, much less harm a Trooper!' Warden Mock's commandment. All of Pendulum would be shut down until the no good bitch(es) or bastard(s) was(were) found.

Now, if there were no dead bodies, it was genuinely considered a good day. Because no unnecessary reports to fill out and everyone just goes about their day.

 

At the end of the day, the Troopers would turn in their reports and be dismissed to do whatever they wanted until it was time to hit the barracks. Usually, after his shift, 2187 would just go back to his bunk and listen to music or write his thoughts down.

Slip would then join him, talking about whichever cute and/or sexy guy he saw while he was out and about with some of the other troopers, drinking. 2187 would just humor him. After working 15 hour days, who really cares? He wasn't really interested in all of the romance stuff anyway. After Slip would finally drift off to sleep, 2187 would do the same.

And, he would silently prayer to whoever was listening, to keep him from suffering any nightmares for that night. He would never know if the prayer was answered until after he was woken up by their early morning Broadcast.

_**'Just another day on the job.'** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment and share your thoughts!


	2. So, Here's how it all works

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nightmares and New Arrivals.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Our Leading lady has joined the Craziness!

_The young man from before stands in a well, furnished office: Platinum colored walls and floor in a dimly lit room. With a clear view of the Blue Planet over the kid's left shoulder._

_The Poor boy is staring at whatever's sitting on the desk, not daring once to look up at the one behind that desk._

_"Here's the boy we were telling you about, Admiral Ducain." A man in white Armor, now known to the kid as a 'Storm Trooper' Says._

_"Yes." This 'Ducain' says. The Kid isn't looking at him, but he hears him leaning forward in his chair. "Look at me."_

_The Boy never does._

_"Hmm. Tell me, Trooper. Did this young man give you any trouble when you brought him to my ship?"_

_"Aside from jerking his arms away whenever we grabbed him, none, sir." The Storm Trooper answers._

_"And how did you proceed with getting him here?" Ducain asks._

_"With our stun rifles, Sir."_

_"And, by Stun Rifles, you mean you beat him till he lost consciousness and then you carried him on board. Is that correct?"_

_"Well, sir..."_

_"Don't bother lying. I can see the bruises on his face." Ducain says, sounding very upset by this. "This young man is just a shell. His Spirit is broken. There's no life in his eyes. And yet, somehow... He still has a little fight left in him. Hmm. I wonder..."_

_A Blaster is handed over to the kid._

_"You have one choice to make, young one."_ _For the first time, the kid looks up at Ducain. "_ _You're allowed to take one shot. With that one shot, you are allowed to gun down either myself or the trooper behind you."_

_"Sir, you're not..."_

_"Be Silent, Trooper. I'm still speaking." Ducain warns. "I ordered the Troopers to invade your town. Your loved ones are lost because I gave an order. I'm allowing you to take your revenge." Instead of fear, the Kid appears to have a look of rage in his eyes. "Yes. There it is. Go ahead. Use it. I am no longer armed. Shoot me and you would have broken the First Order's grip on the Mid Rim Worlds as well as earned vengeance for the ones you lost. However, the Trooper behind you will have taken your life before you could even comprehend your own actions."_

_"I won't allow that, sir." The Trooper says._

_"I told you to be silent, Trooper!" Ducain warns again. "Here is your one chance, child."_

_The Kid slowly reaches up and carefully takes the blaster from Ducain's hand. He looks down at it for a moment before looking back up and pointing it at the Admiral's head. With a look of Determination, he starts to pull the trigger. But, suddenly, it seems that everything is slowing down to a halt. There's no movement. No sound, except for his beating heart and elevated breathing. Ducain's eyes are trained on him. No fear, No anger. Just a curious stare and a small smile._

_The sound of the Storm Trooper behind him drawing his Pistol and cocking it causes the boy's eyes to widen with anticipation._

_In one fluid motion, the kid turns around and shoots at the trooper. Time is still crawling, so it seems that the Trooper has more than enough time to kill the kid right then and there. But, he doesn't. He can't. Before he pulls his own trigger, the blaster bolt rockets right through his chest. He falls backwards, the force of the bolt pushing back towards the wall._

_He falls. And just like that, time resumes in normalcy._

_The Barrel is hot from the blast and the kid's eyes are now fill with fear and wonder._

_Behind him, Ducain sits in the shadows, laughing and clapping, as if he was watching some big event that had reached it's conclusion._

_The kid turns back around, pointing his blaster at Ducain's head once more._

_"Excellent, young man! That was truly a sight to beheld." Ducain praises._

_The Kid pulls the Trigger, but nothing happens._

_"As I said, child. Only one shot."_

_The kid then drops the gun and begins to cry._

_"That's it! Life is boiling inside you again! That's good! Now, you're right where you belong." Ducain says._

_Suddenly, the doors behind the doors slide open and four Troopers storm in, aiming their rifles at the Kid's back._

_"LOWER YOUR WEAPONS!!" Ducain shouts. "NO ONE IS TO HARM THIS CHILD!! NO ONE!!"_

_The Troopers immediately do as they're ordered to do._

_Ducain's chair squeaks as he raises to his feet._

_"The Trooper lying at your feet was a Resistance Fighter. How did a Resistance Soldier get this close to me on my own ship?! Well?! Does anyone know?!"_

_"Sir, FN-1001 wasn't a Resistance Soldier." One of the Troopers says. "I knew him. We were in the Academy together. He would never go against..."_

_"Did you question me, FN-9961?" Ducain asks._

_"No, sir." FN-9961 says quickly._

_"Find out who he really was. And ordered the fleet away from the system. I have a feeling we might be compromised."_

_"And about the boy?" FN-0813 asks._

_Ducain looks over at the boy, who is now on his knees, still crying into his hands. "The Boy saved my life. I'm indebted to his." Ducain says._

_They all nod as they start walk out._

_The sound of Ducain clearing his throat causes them all to stop in their tracks. "Handle that."_

_The Troopers pick up the lifeless Trooper and carry him out._

_Ducain Turns around and gets down on one knee, hovering about the boy. "I'm sure you're thinking your life is over now. But, I meant what I said to the troopers." He leans in a bit closer. "I don't want you to worry. I will give you something to fight for. We wouldn't want that fire inside you to die out, would we?" He smiles as he pats the kid on the back._

 

FN-2187 springs awake.

 _'Good morning, FN-2187.'_ The Female computerized Voice shouts in a happy tone.

"Uh, ye... yeah." FN-2187 says as he rolls off his bunk.

It was the same routine as always: Eating Breakfast, Socializing, and heading off to work.

Exiting the Cafeteria, FN-2187 and FN-2003 fist bump as they put on their helmets and go in separate directions of the long hallway. Slip goes right as '87 goes left.

 

A loud buzzing sound echoes throughout the entire containment section of Pendulum. From Cell block A to Z, the cell doors were sliding open, signaling the convicts to begin their next morning of their sentence, however long they might be.

All was stated before, there's a kind of order to the way things are done on _Pendulum_. The Prisoners are let out and are expected to complete a full day's work before they're allowed to eat. However, what's obvious here is there are all sorts of living beings from all across the galaxy. And as there are so many different types of people on Pendulum, there are certain needs that must be met: Kinds of food, types of drinking water, Medical care, etc. And if these needs aren't being met, nobody's going to go complain to Supreme Leader Snoke. Much less the Warden. So, a type of secret 'trading network' has been put in place between the Prisoners and the Storm troopers. In exchange for Credits, information, Weapons, goods, and/or sex, the troopers see to it that their convicts 'rehabilitation' goes a little smoother. Everybody has needs. In particular, the Convicts. But, more especially, the Stormtroopers. It's always best to avoid any unnecessary conflict. So, why not make the Storm troopers lives a little easier? They're human beings too, right? Right??

... _RIGHT_. Moving on.

 

FN-2187 arrives in Cell Block R just as the guards are shouting that every cell on that block were empty and the cons were all accounted for. '87 walks towards the end of the block, mentally counting each of the convicts and trying to remember each of there faces. So far, everything is as it should be.

"HOLD IT!!" An Older Stormtrooper shouts, grabbing the attention of everyone within earshot of him. "Prisoner #38871 isn't present!"

Another Storm trooper, who's standing on the opposite end of the second story, marches over to that Prisoner's cell. Since '87 is much closer, he makes his way over to the cell.

"OH!" Prisoner # 38871, A man with an accent, exclaims. "Is that you, my young friend?"

'87 enters carefully.

"Ah, so it is! How are you this morning?" The Older man asks.

"How do you always know it's me?" 87 Asks.

"It's your demeanor. It's... Raddled. You were worried about me." He says.

"But, you can't see me." 87 corrects.

"Oh, my young friend! I don't need to see when I can hear your heart pounding so loudly. Or the shaking in your voice. That tells me that you are a gentle man. I may be blind, but I could still pick you out of anywhere." He says.

"I think you're a crazy old man." 87 says, much to the Older man's amusement. "Now, come on out of there before they put you in the sublevels."

The Older man chuckles. He stands to his feet and reaches out for 87, who grabs his right hand and guides him out of the cell. "I may be crazy. But, I don't think I'm wrong."

87 stops and gives him a look that can't be seen, thanks to his helmet.

"...Wrong about you, I mean." The Man corrects.

They slowly make their way out of the cell just as the rushing Trooper from earlier makes it there.

"What was the problem?" He asks 87.

"He couldn't tell where the door was." 87 says, disgusted with himself.

"Well, fine. I'll take it from here." 'Rush' says. "There's a ship load of new prisoners being sent in block L's front gate. You're needed there."

"L?" 87 asks. "I just got here! What do they need me there for?"

"I don't ask." Rush says.

"I mean, is it necessary?" 87 asks, clearly frustrated.

"Necessary? Probably not. Is it an Order? Yeah. Follow it if you want. I'm not responsible for you." Rush says. He then pushes the Older Asian Gentleman towards the stairs. With a smile, The man waves fondly at 87.

After a waiting a moment to think, 87 does decide to follow the order after all and heads to Cell Block L.

 

A Prison Shuttle enters Pendulum's atmosphere, flying down towards the massive 14 story prison Block marked 'L'. A large gate in front of the faculty unlocks and slowly slides open. The Ship flies through and turns 180 degrees, backing into an extended connecting bridge at ground level. It slows to a stop before landing gently. A lock click is heard and the shuttles decomposes.

Inside the bridge, Stands Warden Mock and a handful of Troopers, One of them being FN-2187.

"Troopers!" Mock shouts. "I realize that this unannounced delivery of newbies is sudden. I do apologize to you for interrupting your duties, but The Supreme Leader has made me aware that someone in the new group is someone he's apprentice, Kylo Ren has been searching for."

87 nerves up when he hears that name. 'Kylo Ren is bad news! I mean, this is a guy who attacked an entire village all because he wanted a map that lead to a Luke Skywalker. And then had the villagers slaughtered when he didn't get it!' He would know. He was there that days 4 weeks ago. A night he wouldn't be forgetting any time soon.  'Anybody that is unlucky enough to fall into Kylo Ren's gaze is someone better off never hearing about him in the first place. But, to have him search the galaxy for you? You really are better off dead.'

"As of now..." Mock continues. "...I am unaware of who this person might be, but it is of dire important that you look out for those people until Lord Ren can arrive here. Understood?"

The hatch door to the bridge slides open, and the new additions to the Prison populace is ordered to march in. There are 11 new convicts, ranging from humans to green Twi'leks, A gungan, a Ithorian, a couple of Droids, and... 

_A Beautiful young brunette._

Despite the Twi'leks standing there, She catches 87's eyes almost immediately. She had her hair up in a single bun and wore a white and gray wardrobe. 87 certainly hopes that she isn't on Ren's hit list.

"By order of his Excellency, the Supreme Leader himself, Snoke, has determined that you all have committed crimes against the First Order. And therefore, being sentenced to live out the reminder of your lives here on Pendulum. During your stay with us, you are expected to follow the rules we once you've learned them. I won't spoon feed them to you, as my troopers have more pressing business to return to, but I imagine that if you wish to make your time here as painless as possible, I'd recommend that you learn them and do as we say when we say to do it. Any questions?"

"How about you just show us to our rooms?" One of the men says. "It's been a long trip and I don't sleep well in cramped spaces while in Hyperspace!"

Warden Mock stares the man down, as if trying to kill him with a glare. Nines then walks right over to the man and gets right in his face. Everyone looks on as the Man stares Nines down.

The Girl looks over at all the other troopers and stops on FN-2187. He shifts in his stance when he notices her looking at him. Her expression changes from cautious to curious. It's like she's trying to a read on him. Like she's trying to look him in the eye despite not being able to.

Nines' chuckle causes both the girl and 87 to look back over at Nines and the guy he's eyeball to eyeball with.

"You know what? I think I like you. We're gonna be just fine, you and me."

The guy gives him a smile and nods.

Nines then hits him in the stomach, forcing the man down to his knees. And then strikes him in the face with the butt of his rifle. The guy falls flat on his back. Nines then walks up, kicking the man repeatedly in the ribs. FN-2187 goes to pulls Nines off when...

"Okay, STOP!" The girl shouts, holding her hand out, stopping 87. She then goes over and checks on her companion. She whispers 'We're not here for this...' She then gives 87 a heated scowl before looking up at Nines. She then gently grabs his arm and helps him up to his feet. As she goes to rejoin the other convicts in the line, Nines smacks the man in the face again, this time knocking him unconscious. 

"You didn't need to do that!" The girl shouts, her lovely british accent raised in anger. "He wasn't going do anything to you!"

"Oh, I thought I was helping him out! He said he had trouble sleeping!" Nines looks down to see the man still unconscious on the floor. "Now, he doesn't." 

The girl balls her fists up, ready for a fight.

"There's no need for anymore of this!" 87 calls out, drawing the girl's attention back to him. "We all have jobs we need to get back to. I don't need this extra shit!"

The girl gives him an embittered glare. 87 goes cold.

"Crude, but he's quite right." Warden Mock says. "2199! 2000! Get these people in lock up. 2003, gets this idiot cleaned up and ready for processing. And then you guys get back to your duties." Everyone goes about following their Warden's order.

As FN-2187 walks off, Mock grabs his arm. "You're still too soft, 2187! You being here was to remind you that weakness has no place in the First Order, especially when it comes to any resistance soldiers we have in lock up. Should I put in a call to Captain Phasma and let her know that her favorite Soldier has been proven a failure?"

87 swallows. "N.. No, sir! I just didn't see the need to endure any more of Nines' foolishness. What he does, he does to showoff."

Mock slowly nods his head. "Maybe. Maybe your right. Well, in any case, you are expected to report back to Phasma anyway. Why don't you do so now before returning to work?"

FN-2187 salutes Mock before walking away. As he enters the detention area, he looks up on the second story catwalk and notices the girl staring down at him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment and share your thoughts!


	3. Fear and Uneasy Feelings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What does it mean when FN-2187 suffers a major hallucination?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tensions rise. FN-2187 suffers.
> 
> Just so you know: I'm making a tiny change in this chapter.

"Who the hell does she think she is?!" Nines Spits as he Zeroes, Slip, and Dawn head towards their stations. "Staring me down like she was gonna do something! Does she not realize she's on a First Order Prison Planet?!"

"She's been out in the desert too long. She doesn't think any of the rules apply to her." Zeroes says.

"Well, she'll be up to speed before too long." Nines says. "It's just isn't smart to threaten an officer in the Supreme Leader's Army."

"Calm down, Nines!" Dawn commands. "Don't let the girl get you all hot and bothered!"

"Yeah, Guy! Do you think you're blowing this whole thing outta proposition, Nines?" Slip questions.

"THE FUCK YOU SAY TO ME, TRAINEE?!" Nines stops and faces Slip.

"Watch your goddamn mouth, Nines!" Slip says, mustering up a lot of courage.

"Oh! Y'know, you've gotten real brave without your boyfriend standing next to you." Nines gets right in Slip's face. "You two bounce balls a lot in your room, _SLIP_?"

"Even if we did, what's it to you? It's not like you have any balls of your own." Slip says, to Dawn's amusement.

Infuriated by her giggling, Nines looks down on Slip. "You wanna say that again?" He mumbles loudly.

"C'mon!" Slip says with glee. "We ALL saw you flinch when the girl glared at you. I guess it's a good thing we all wear helmets. That way, she couldn't see you shitting buckets back there!"

Nines grabs Slip by the neck and pushing him against the wall. "You fuckin' Punk!"

Dawn immediately gets between them. "HEY! Hey, hey, hey, hey!"

"I'll dump _you_ off next, Asshole!" Nines shouts, as Zeroes pulls him away from Slip and Dawn.

"Hey, hey! Watch it, Nines. I've already warned you twice about threatening my troopers! Do it again, and I'll send you back to the jungle heap where I found you!"

Nines wrestles out of Zeroes' grip, but stops and takes a deep breath. "Ma'am!..."

Dawn turns her head towards Nines.

"You're... Absolutely 100% correct. I should've listened to Slip. And I shouldn't have let her get to me. The important thing here is that we can a protective detail over all of Lord Kylo Ren's POWs, and that's exactly what we need to focus on. Please excuse my tone."

"I'll do you one better, and excuse you for being born. Now, as the Warden said, we all go back to our duties..." She turns to look back at Slip. "... And not one more word will be used to put down ANY of the other Troopers. Unless, their interested in me taking charge of their reconditioning. If any of you three want me at the REC chamber controls, please... _please_ speak up now." She looks back at Nines and Zeroes.

"Uh, no! No!" Slip says.

"Nah, I'm okay." Zeroes mutters.

"Oh, no, no. That won't be necessary." Nines assures.

"Okay, then. Whatever's causing all this unnecessary tension better be left right here on this fucking Platform! And, it better stay here, too. Now, let's get back to our stations, and get on back to work." Dawn snares.

"Yes, Ma'am!" Slip, Nines, & Zeroes all say in unison while saluting her. 

She goes to walk away, but stops in front of Nines. "Oh, by the way, Nines. You're not an officer anymore! As of the Jakku incident, you've been busted back down to private." She can feel Nines glaring at her through his helmet. "Not my decision, but one I would've made were I in charge. You're too much of a clueless brute. One not fitted for Supreme Leader Snoke's Army." She walks towards the Acceleration tubes. "And, don't you make a fool of my corps again. You hear me?" Not waiting for an answer, she enters the Tram and rides it away to her station. 

"I wish you would make that call, _Dawn_!" Nines says, under his breath. "Give me an excuse to something to you!"

Slip enters the one on the other side of the platform.

"What are we gonna do about her?" Zeroes asks.

"I'm sure I'll think of something." Nines says.

"But, she's not one to make empty threats. And if she knew about our little network here on Pendulum, Reconditioning would be a welcomed punishment."

"Don't worry so much, Zeroes. Even if she did, you forget that even if she sent here to spy for Snoke, it doesn't matter. One little key piece of misinformation, and she'll be in here as a guest of _Pendulum_. And a new addition to the Prison fodder who suck my cock. Her, right along with that desert bitch, _and_ Slip."

"Nice." Zeroes says as he follows Nines onto the west side of the Platform as another Tram arrives.

 

"State your name for the record, convict." FN-7616 says.

"Rey." The girl says.

"Do you know why you're being incarcerated here on Pendulum, girl?" 7616 says.

"For being a thief." Rey says.

7616 reads the screen in front of her. "Theft of First Order property and it's destruction." 7616 looks up at Rey. "You've got some nerve to be so smug, girl."

"It looked like a piece of Rancor shit, you ask me." Rey snickers. "I was just putting it out of it's misery."

"You think this is funny?!" 7616 asks.

Rey tries to recompose herself. "Yeah. And little bit, actually."

7616 types out something and hits a button. An alert beeps right over Rey's head.

"Solitary confinement on your first day. A record first." 7616 says.

"Wow. A record started on my first day. And all for thinking a Sandmancer looked better as a smoking scrap heap!" Rey celebrates as armed guards carry her away.

 

"Get in there, girl!" A guard shouts as he throws Rey inside a dark cell. The door slams in her face and she leans against the cold, stone wall and slowly slides down to her backside. She then rests her arms on top of her knees and buries her face into her lap.

"My, It's only been a couple of hours, and I've already been given a guest." A voice says.

"Who's there?" Rey asks, looking around in the dark, as if she's going to see a face.

"Prisoner # 38871."

"What's your _real_ name?" Rey persists.

"Wow! It's also the first time someone has asked me my name in a long time." The elder man says. "Truly, it's a day of surprises for me."

"Well?" Rey asks more eager.

"So impatient." the man says. "Must be someone so young. Always in a hurry for something."

Rey says nothing.

"Oh, I've upset you. I apologize. please forgive me for nattering on like this. It's been a while since I've had another person to speak to. My name is... Chirrut Imwe."

"Chirrut." Rey whispers. "I'm here to save you."

"Oh, have you now?" Chirrut asks. "Doesn't seem like that's going to be happening anytime soon."

"I know of that other person you spoke of. The one who sent here to find you." Rey says.

"You don't mean..." Chirrut ponders.

"I'm a member of the resistance. And General Organa sent me to find you." Rey says.

 

"This... Is not alright, FN-2187." Phasma says, talking to him through a holoprojector. "You were due to report back to me yesterday. Why are you a day late?"

"I apologize, Ma'am." FN-2187 says. "I just didn't have any time to report in. Between watching over the prisoners and keeping them from killing each other, it was a grueling day yesterday."

"Always so watchful over others, yes, 2187?" Phasma says. "You still need to learn that it's more important that you fulfil your _own_ objectives, in stead of worrying about the conditions of others. If others wish to stand against the First Order, then they are merely fools whose miserable lives are cut short out of mercy, and not because they were expendable. Supreme Leader Snoke values those who are strong and who can follow his vision for the galaxy. Anyone who defies him or dies at their hands, were better off not being born in the first place."

"Yes, of course, Captain." Despite the understanding front, a cold shiver runs down '87's spine. Those words are the mantra of the First Order. Words he's heard over and over again all his life. But, to hear them again like that for the coldest woman in the galaxy was enough to make him wish that he had never heard of the First Order. _Ever_.

Phasma sighs. "So... how have you been faring?"

"Oh, good." 87 lies. "Uh, very well. Aside from the war criminals, it's actually been an amazing experience." Rolling his eyes as he says this.

"Hmm. Is that so?" Phasma ponders. "Then, I suppose that you're quite bored with your surroundings and is very eager to rejoin the fight against the Resistance scum, then?"

'NOOO!' 87 thinks. "No, not quite yet. The Warden doesn't feel comfortable with the idea of me being out there in the fight again yet."

"Oh, so you'd rather be there with him instead of here with me, then?" Captain Phasma asks.

'HELLS YES!!' 87 thinks to himself. "Of course not. But, I do have orders to follow here on _Pendulum_."

"Hmm. I suppose Mock has his reasons, but... Very well. Was there any thing else you wish to speak to me about?"

"Yes. I've um... I've been suffering nightmares as of late." 87 says, the first real honest thing he's told her today.

"Nightmares..." 

"...Of a child." 87 says. "A child who looks like me. Who shares the same eyes that I have. But, he's scared. Terrified. Everything around him is all unpleasant and violent. I think that I maybe remembering something from my younger years."

"Hmm. Curious. And how long have you been experiencing these nightmares?"

"Since Jakku, Captain." 87 says, shaking his head. "I just can't seem to shake them."

"Hmm. Perhaps you're not ready to return to my side, quite yet after all." Phasma says. "It's clear that you're first battle was something you weren't prepared for and as a result, you're processing it through delusions and nightmares." Phasma goes quite for several seconds before speaking again. "It's my recommendation that you be given another day in reconditioning."

 _Great_. Those are the last words that 87 wanted to hear today.

"But, Captain. I'm sure these dreams will pass in time. There's nothing holding me back from completing my duties here on _Pendulum_. Besides, I've been a soldier my entire life. So, why should a mere skirmish with Resistance trash keep me up forever? I'm still alive, and am fully dedicated to the First Order's victory."

"Why, indeed?" Phasma agrees. "Listen, FN-2187. I realize that you are a strong, young gallant. And I commend you for it. But, you really must leave it to the ones who can better help you with what's going on with you." 

' _Why is Phasma sounding less like a cruel beast of a woman and more like... someone who's trying to sound like she cares?_ ' 87 thinks to himself.

"And, so, because I was given charge over you, I'm better equipped with knowing how to help you. Now, do as I say and turn in my report for reconditioning as soon as humanly possible."

"Yes, Captain." 87 says simply. As his heart drops into his stomach.

"Good." Phasma replies. "I hope to see you again soon, my love. _**ON TIME**_ , next time."

The screen goes black and 87 removes his helmet, sweating profusely. 'Why do I have to go back into Reconditioning again?' 87 wonders. 'Oh, if only... If only I escaped with that Pilot when I had the chance to. But, no. Slip had to come looking for me and...' 87 sighs. 'What difference does it make now? After Jakku, I knew that I was going to be stationed here. This is my life now until I get another chance to escape the First Order.'

 

FN-2187 exits out of the communications room. 'Yeah. Escape and go where? You don't have to be a storm trooper to know that the First Order's reach extends to the outer rim worlds.'

He walks through the long, wide, empty corridor, with his eyes glued to the floor. His helmet still in his right hand. 'Well, it didn't work the first time, but maybe reconditioning is just what I need. Hopefully, I can get those damn dreams to go away. Maybe, I can just stop... everything.'

87 stops suddenly, feeling really sick all of a sudden.

Without warning, bright, disorientating images flashes before his eyes. Destruction, People screaming, blood, and people dying flood into his conscious mind. There are too many to focus on at once! Suffering, burning, and seemingly endless agony is happening all around him and engulfing him, causing him to not only see, but feel what's happening to these tortured souls!

His knees buckle, forcing him down. Just then, he feels his muscles seize as a pain, unlike anything he's ever felt before, washes over him like a wave washes over a shore. It's unbearable! He was just fine just moments ago. There's no war going on here on Pendulum. So, how is it that he's right in the middle of a conflict, kneeling as he suffers along with the people around him.

The sounds! The Sounds only get louder and louder. Screaming, explosions, parents wailing over their children. It's too much! 'What is this? How is this happening?' 87 thinks to himself. 'Why is this happening to me? What have I done to deserve so much pain? No! This isn't happening! It's just in my head! But... But, I'm not crazy! I'm not crazy!'

His eyes roll to the back of his head as the images intensifies. And An ear piercing ring drowns out all sounds.

"What's... going... on?!?" 87 says out loud, rather loudly.

 

In Solitary confinement, as Rey and Chirrut talks, they both suddenly stop, feeling an uneasy feeling, causing them intense discomfort!

 

On a ship, deep within the Outer rim territories, a badly burnt and scarred man sits on a throne in the middle of a red room, surrounding by guard also dawning red Armor. He sits, with his head looking down and his eyes closed. As if in deep thought. 

Suddenly, his head lifts up and his eyes spring open! He takes a deep breath as he begins to float off of his throne. He then looks towards the ceiling. His guards immediately encircle him as he chuckles in pure delight.

"Master?" One of the guards calls out.

"There!" The Scarred man shouts. "Did you feel it, my young apprentice?!"

 

On the same ship, down in one of the chambers, sits a man in a black cloak, wearing what appears to be a mask or an apparatus of some kind. He's looking at a broken mask, sitting before him.

"Yes." The man says. "Supreme Leader! Where is that rush coming from?"

 

Supreme Leader Snoke smiles. "It's coming from Pendulum. And that's not all. It appears to be... three? Yes! Three powerful Force Users there. Go now, my Apprentice. Go now and find the one who has been awakened in the Force! In honor of your knights of Ren! Welcome him as your newest Knight or your latest Victim. Kylo Ren!"

 

"FN-2187." Kylo Ren mumbles. He rises to his feet. As he leaves his chambers, he walks towards the hangar bay. Pilots walking his way stop and stand at attention. "Make ready my ship." He says. The Pilots nod and hurry off ahead of Kylo Ren.

 

Back on Pendulum, FN-2187 leans back and screams as he continues to writhe in intense agony. And just when he doesn't think he can take anymore, it stops. Everything just stops. The Images, the pain, the ear piercing sounds. It just comes to a halt. And, just like that, FN-2187 is weightless. He feels nothing at all. He just hollow inside now. No thoughts, no feelings, nothing.

He then passes out and fall to the cold, hard floor, unconscious.

 

Several hours later, two other Storm troopers stand over him. He can hardly see them through his burry vision. He hears them whispering back and forth, probably wondering what's going to happen to 'the Only Storm trooper in the whole Galaxy with the mental condition'. All of a sudden, Reconditioning doesn't seem like such a bad idea. If it can make him forget about all of the humiliation he's been suffering since Jakku, then it'll be more than worth it.

Warden Mock appears between the two Storm troopers. "Outta my way! MOVE!" He looks down at 87 and glares at him. Just at that moment, FN-2187's sight returns in time to witness one of the scariest faces that he's ever seen in his life.

Warden Mock looks up and between the other two troopers. "Explain this." He says.

"I'm not sure, sir. He was like this when we found him." The one on the left says.

"We couldn't get him to respond at all, Warden." The one on the right says.

"Is that a fact?" The Warden wonders. "Alright, you two get back to your posts. I've got it from here!" The two Soldiers salute and go on their way. The Warden kneels down and somewhat gently grabs FN-2187 by his collar. "What the hell is wrong with you, 2187? Shah! You can be a useless son of a bitch."

"I'm sorry, Warden." 87 says.

The Warden gets 87 to his feet. And 87 leans up against the wall.

"Why do I always get sent the worse ones?" Mock wonders out loud. "First, all I ever got were knuckleheads and smart Alecks. Now, it's stupid Bastards and Nut jobs. Damn! I'm not sure what Phasma was thinking after sending me her 'Favorite Ward'. Just tell me, 87. Are you sure you're Phasma's favorite or just her problem child?"

"I don't know what happened to me, Warden Mock. I was on my way back to my post when all of a sudden..."

"Okay. You know what? I don't wanna hear it! Report to medical before taking 'Rush's' place in Cell Block G." Mock orders.

87 nods before walking away. He then stops and turns. "But, sir. Cell Block G? I'm not stationed in G."

"No?" The Warden asks. "Well, you are now. Starting as soon as you've been cleared by the Doc. Get on it, 87."

Without another word, 87 heads towards Medical.

"Oh, before I forget again. What was Phasma recommendation this time?"

'87 remembers now. He was just thinking that Reconditioning would be ideal with all the embarrassing moments he's been having since coming here. But, now he remembers that Reconditioning will be in his future the moment that word leaves his lips and gets to the Warden's ears.

And, so. With a quiet, uneasy voice, FN-2187 says... "Reconditioning."

"Hmm. Yeah. That's probably for the best." Warden Mock says like it's of no consequence. And it isn't. Not to him. "Well, carry on, son. And put that helmet back on!"

FN-2187 nods before doing as he was ordered to do and slowly and quietly heads on to Medical.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please Comment and Share your thoughts!


	4. Like all the others

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are only getting more Complicated for FN-2187. Between doing his job and helping Pendulum's populace (Without others knowing), and the new girl, Rey, who's suspicious of his reasons for standing up for them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FN-2187 and Rey interact for the first time!

FN-2187 lies on an operating table. Staring up at the bright light of the X-Ray scanner, he allows the doctor and medical droids to their job as they check his vitals, his pupils, and his heartrate.

"Hmm." The Doctor says. "There doesn't appear to be anything physical wrong with you. How are you feeling now?"

"I'm feeling alright. But, I just can't get it out of my head!" 87 says. "Just what was that? What the hell happened to me?"

"Well, whatever it is, we're just not seeing it."

"Was I drugged somehow?" 87 asks.

"No evidence on these screens to support that." Doctor Hetts says.

"Well, it could be something that I ate or drank. Something that you can't taste or smell. Maybe I was..."

Doctor Hetts cuts him off. "What I'm trying to tell you is that, whatever the issue is, it's all in your head."

FN-2187 frowns and watches him as he walks over to a switch on the wall. "But, just to be sure, we'll run you through the X-ray." He flips a couple of levers and pushes a button. The room goes completely dark and the overhead Scanner shines a dark blue light over 87 from his feet up to his eyes and back down again.

The machine cuts off and the lights come back on again, almost blindly 87. 

"Just as I concluded." Doctor Hetts jots down something on the data pad and release 87's restraints. 87 stretches. "As far as we can see, you are perfectly healthy, FN-2187."

87 hops off of the table.

Doc Hetts directs 87 to the table against the wall, where all of his things are resting. "Your armor and equipment are over there on that table. I need to report to the Warden. I'll leave you to get dressed and you're all set." Doctor Hetts leaves the room without looking at 87.

87, with a sadden expression, goes over and gets dressed. And, after equipping his gear, he slides on his helmet and heads out himself.

 

_Three Hours ago..._

 

"Wait a minute." Chirrut says. "You said Leia sent you to find me? Does that mean she knows where Luke Skywalker is?"

"Well, we're not entirely sure just yet." Rey says. "We've got half of a map from Lor San Tekka, but we're still not sure where the other half is."

"Hmm, Tekka. I remember him. We go all the way back before the end of the Jedi Order. I wasn't sure where he was or if he even survived. Tell me, child. Is he alright?"

Rey goes silent again. She hangs her head in silence and tries to prevent tears from streaming.

Sensing the sudden change in her mood, Chirrut slowly nods his head. "He's gone." It wasn't a question.

Rey nods back. "Yes."

"Did you know him well?" Chirrut asks.

"Not very well, but... I did." Rey answers. "He was kind to me."

"Hmm. Oh!" Chirrut realizes suddenly. "I never asked you your name. Please, forgive me. I wasn't expecting any of this today. But, please... tell me. What is it?"

"Rey."

"Well, young Rey." Chirrut says. "I'd say that it's a pleasant surprise, meeting you, but, given our current surroundings..."

"I know. But, It's really an honor to meet you. I've heard so much about you and the crew of _Rogue One_."

Chirrut smiles at the memories of his old friends. "Been hearing tales from Tekka, I assume?"

"It's some of my favorite stories since we were on Jakku. It was your bravery that gave the Rebellion it's first major victory!" Rey says excitedly.

Chirrut chuckles. "Well, not to speak ill of the dead, but Tekka didn't know what he was talking about. He was only told of these adventures, mostly from me. But, I'll make you a deal, Rey. When you get us out of here, I'll be sure to share them with you."

"Then, I guess I'd better get started." Rey feels her way on the floor up to the rock wall. She then proceeds to work her way to the front of her cell, feeling the cold, metal door. She then gets to work, trying to find a wire or mechanism for the Door's controls.

Hearing her moments in the darkness, Chirrut wonders, "What are you doing?"

"I'm trying to see if I can access the controls or find the wires to hotwire an opening to my cell door." Rey almost shouts. "Once, I'm out, I'll do the same for yours."

Chirrut hums, clearly impressed. "How about that?" He then stops to listen for any passing guards or any nosy prisoners down in solitary with them. "Although, you may want to be a little quieter, young Rey. Wouldn't want the wrong ears listening to you."

"Oh! Right." Rey says softly.

"So, you said you were from Jakku?" Chirrut asks, changing the subject.

"Yep. Lived there for as far back as I can remember." Rey answers.

"Were you born there? I wouldn't think that that planet would be the best place to raise a child."

"I'm..." Rey stops to think about it. "...Not sure. I don't think so. But, it's the only planet I've ever known."

Chirrut senses that there's something else there. Something that Rey isn't telling him, so he tries to choose his next words very careful. "So, I'm guessing that you and Tekka knew each other well? Is that how you came to know about me?"

"No. When I was out Scavenging, is when I met Tekka. He would often offer to buy some of the Scrap I'd found, so that I would have enough money to eat that night. My 'boss' wasn't always so generous with me and would sometimes refuse to give me anything."

"I'm sorry, Rey." Chirrut says.

"Hey. It was a rough time, but I made it through." Rey says with a small smile. "In fact, most of what I know, I've had to learn to do myself. All things considered, I'd say I've done alright for myself."

"I mean, I'm sorry you lose your family." Chirrut corrects.

Rey frowns. She step away from the door and turns in the direction of Chirrut's voice. "I didn't lose my family. They're out there, somewhere and I'm going to find them. Once I get you back to General Organa, I'm going back to Jakku. I know they'll be back some day." She walks back towards the door. "I've been gone long enough. They're probably there right now, looking for me."

Chirrut frowns in confusion. He goes to say something else when...

"Ugh!" Chirrut grunts as a loud ringing sound echoes in his ear.

"Chirrut?" Rey calls out.

"Argh!!" Chirrut groans, falling on his right side as the sound intensives. 

"Chirrut!!" Rey runs towards the reinforced glass, keeping her away from Chirrut. She pounds on the glass, asking if Chirrut is alright. When he doesn't respond, she pounds on the glass harder, but then she stops.

She backs away from the glass, covering her ears. She can now hear the same loud buzzing sound as Chirrut. She drops to her knees and sees images flashing before her very eyes. She moans in discomfort as she sees images of people suffering and screaming. She tries closing her eyes, but that only makes the images that must more clearer and more disturbing.

"No!! What's going on?!" Rey screams.

"Rey..." Chirrut calls out.

Rey looks over and just as bright as day, she can see Chirrut. He reaches out for her.

"Something's happening! Someone's... in pain." Chirrut shouts.

"What?! You're seeing all of this, too?!?" Rey asks, fear and shock in her voice.

"Yes! And, so is someone else! Someone here on _Pendulum_!" Chirrut says, knowingly.

Rey looks at him, about to ask who, when she suddenly feels the heat of the sun and the wild fires and feels the sorrows of people, suddenly surrounding her. She looks around, heart breaking for all of those who are mourning for their loved ones. She then feels a cold, empty pit in her stomach. None of this is making any sense! Why is she seeing all of this? Why is it that she can feel everything that people are feeling? But, there nothing! No answers to any of it!

Overwhelmed, Rey begins to cry, unable to stop feeling all of this pain or stopping the people from all of theirs. She just about to go right to scream when she looks to her right and sees someone else on their knees, screaming out loud before suddenly fainting.

And just like that, it's over. Rey looks around to see that she's back in her cold, rock and metal cell. She doesn't feel anything, not heat, or pain, or sorrow. Not even that cold pit in her stomach. She just feels tired and left wondering what that was all about.

"Rey?" She hears her name called, but doesn't respond. She closes her eyes and massages the bridge of her nose.

"Rey? Are you alright?" Chirrut asks.

Still, she doesn't respond.

"Rey..."

"Yeah, I'm okay." Rey says at last. "I just... I don't know what any of that was."

"Yes. Neither do I." Chirrut agrees. He senses that she's troubled. "Do you... wish to talk about it?"

"No." Rey says, her voice shaking. "I just wanna forget it. I don't know what's going on!!" Rey shouts.

"Rey..."

"Just leave me alone!!" Rey screams at Chirrut. She then lies on the cold floor. Just... Just wanting to sleep. Just needing to rest.

 

_Three hours later..._

 

Rey hasn't said a single word since they experienced... whatever it was they experienced. She's just been lying there in the dark, not making a sound. Not even moving, from what Chirrut can tell. He wants to check up on her, but he doesn't disturb her.

The sound of his cell door unlocking draws his attention. He turns his attention over to the Stormtrooper who's opened a small window in his cell door. He smiles.

"My young friend!" Chirrut shouts, drawing the attention of Rey, who's since has stopped crying and has woken up. "It's about time!"

She sees the smile on Chirrut's face and notices the Stormtrooper looking down at him.

"Yeah. I'm letting you out now, Imwe! Hope you weren't too bored in here!" 87 says.

"No, no. Just getting to know my new friend over there." Chirrut then gets on his knees and crawls closer to the door. "By the way, can you check on her? I haven't heard a word from her and now I'm really worried."

87 looks over at Rey in the adjacent cell and sees her picking herself up off the floor, glaring at him with that same look she had just the day before.

"Aside from the frown, I'd say she's probably just fine." 87 confirms.

"What?" Chirrut then whips his head towards Rey. "Rey? Are you alright?"

"Is he bothering you, Chirrut?" Rey asks.

"Oh, thank the Maker! You're awake! Are you feeling alright?"

"I'm Fine. What does _he_ want?" Rey asks, addressing FN-2187.

"Oh, this is a very good friend of mine. Don't worry. He's one of the good ones!" Chirrut then looks back at the door and sniffs the air. "Hmm! Something smells delicious! What's for lunch?"

"Just protein cakes and steamed veg." 87 takes the food off of the cart and places it on the tray that he pulls out embedded in the cell door. He then pushes the food tray through the insert hole and it slides right in front of Chirrut. He nods with a bright smile.

"Thank you!" He then digs in.

"As soon as you're finished, FN-2003 will escort you back to your cell." 87 moves over to the next cell. FN-2003 (Slip) steps in front of the now see through cell door.

Rey watches him, as if through the wall, still staring at him with that same glare. She then notices Chirrut enjoying his meal.

"You sure that's safe enough to eat?" Rey asks him.

Unable to talk, due to him chewing, He nods his head. "Mm-Hmm!"

"How do you know that the food doesn't have any _secret_ ingredients in it?"

After swallowing his food, he says, "Because I know that Storm Trooper. As I said before, He's a good one. If you're nice to him, he'll return your kindness in turn." Chirrut takes another bites of his lunch.

Wondering if there was any hints in that statements, Rey feels herself getting angrier! 'What does that mean?' She thinks to herself. 'If I just give in to whatever he wants, he'll treat me like I'm his personal play thing? Whenever he wants me?! FUCK NO!! TO HELL WITH THAT AND HIM!!'

As if on cue, the sound of her door being unlocked echoes loudly in her cell. The Metal door instantly becomes transparent, and Rey can see the Trooper holding a tray of food and loading it onto the insert slot of her door. The Troopers sends the food sliding into her cell and it stops at her bended knees. Rey looks up from the tray and eyes the Storm, watching his ever step. 

87, in turn, looking at her as if waiting for some kind of acknowledge, but gets nothing but her soon-to-be permanent death glare.

Unable to take another minute of awkward silence... 

"So, as soon as you're done eating, I'll be taking you back to processing. Apparently, you didn't get a chance to finish it, due to your remarks about the First Order."

Rey says nothing (Shocking, right?).

"Okay. Well, uh... take your time. Enjoy your meal. I'll be right out here when your done." 87 turns his back to her, allowing her some peace while she eats her food.

She looks back down at the tray. She removes the clear covering on the tray and deeply inhales the smells coming off of the plate. She picks up the tray and...

She hurls at the door, causing food to splatter everywhere. 

Jumping at the loud sound, 87 and Slip both examine the mess she made when she threw the tray. 87 looks back up at her giving him that same goddamn stare of death she's been giving him this whole time.

"The F..." Slip mutters. "What the fuck is your problem, Lady?!"

87 holds him back. "Easy, Slip! Easy now!"

"NO!! 87, man!" Slip whines.

"Hey, it's alright! She doesn't have to eat if she doesn't want to!"

"87! You know, Nines and Zeroes are probably gonna make us clean this mess up!" Slip says.

"Not if we report back to Mock or Dawn about what she did." 87 counters. "We did our job. Dawn knows us. We won't be penalized for simply doing our job. And besides, she's only hurting herself. Warden Mock won't appreciate what she did to his Solitary cage. So, whatever mess she finds herself in, it'll be all her own fault!"

Slip sighs loudly before pushing 87 off of him. "You forget. She's one of Kylo Ren's Prisoners. We're expected to keep her alive until he shows up."

Rey's eyes get soft as she is now interested in what 87 and Slip are talking about.

"Exactly!" 87 says. "Whatever punishment he has in store for her, it's all because of what she did! So, I'll say it again. Dawn knows that we take care of the cons, so this mess wouldn't count against us. We did our job. We gave her food and kept watch over her. And, that's all we could do. Whatever happens to her next, it'll be her own fault."

"Oh, right! I get it!" Slip says.

87 nods his head. "Yeah. So, take Chirrut back to his cell. And, I'll get her back for processing. Shouldn't be too much of a hassle." 

Slip nods and slides his keycard into the card reader of Chirrut's Cell. "Prisoner, step out!"

87 does the same for Rey's Cell. "Prisoner, step out!"

Rey looks over at Chirrut, getting up and stepping towards Slip. With no other choice, Rey follows suit.

"Show me your hands!" Slip says. Chirrut does as he's told and binders on slapped on his wrists.

Rey walks forward, frowning and refusing to look at the Trooper. She extends her wrists.

"Hey." 87 whispers.

Rey looks up, frowning as the light from the hallway partial blinds her.

"Listen, just... please, do as we say, and you'll get through this alright."

Without a word or any acknowledge, Rey looks down at the binders in 87's hands. Instead of slapping them on like Slip did to Chirrut, 87 gently places them on her and carefully to make sure that they weren't too tight on her wrists. 

Once they're fastened on her, 87 gestures for her to step forward and walk ahead of him, going up the hallway. Slip and Chirrut go in the opposite direction.

 

 

Rey goes through the process of answering questions, admitting her crimes, accepting an interview with Commander Dawn, given her prison fatigues, pillow, covers, & sheets and ordered to walk ahead of FN-2187 again towards her cell.

 

As Prisoners come and go about their business, 87 leads Rey to her cell. One of the prisoners that she arrived here with, Tazmin "Taz" Lisker, looks up to see her walking on the second story catwalk.

Smiling, he runs towards the catwalk, waving at Rey, trying to get her attention.

"Hey! Rey! Rey!!" Taz whistles. 

Rey, hearing all the commotion, looks around for the person calling her name. She looks over the catwalk and sees Taz. Rey smiles at him and nods his head.

"There you are! Girl, you had me worried!!" Taz greets.

"HEY!!!" A storm trooper shouts. "SHUT YOUR GODDAMN MOUTH ALREADY, WOULD YOU?!?!"

"I'll see you out here, no? Keep your head up, Girl!" Taz is then grabbed and dragged away by two Storm troopers. "Easy, Fellas! I bruise easy! Take it easy!"

Rey just smiles and laughs to herself as she keeps walking to her cell.

As Taz is carried away by the troopers, he catches the eye of several prisoners. The guy in the middle of this crew, looks him up and down and smiles Devilishly. 

 

Arriving at her cell, 87 orders her to stop. He goes and unlocks the door. 

"Step in." He says simply. 

Rey follows his order.

"Wait." 87 says. He removes her binds.

after setting her sheets on her bed, she turns to him again. "There, you see? Following the rules makes our jobs a lot more easier. Which means it's a good thing for us and an even better thing for you. Oh, and I want you to know that I'll be working in this Cell Block. If you need anything, anything at all, you can straight come to me."

"Just like Chirrut?" Rey asks.

87 smiles, though Rey can't see him doing so. "Uh-huh! Just like Chirrut."

"And, what are you getting in return?" Rey asks, with contempt in her voice.

"Uh, what do you mean?" 87 asks, slightly confused.

"I mean, when I do as I'm told. When I'm a good girl or need something like medicine or... I don't know! A holo novel. What do you expect in return for your wonderful gestures of kindness?"

"Well, I... I just..." 87 stumbles.

"Please, save your breath." Rey demands. "See, I know what goes on in place like this. Do this one a favor, and I get first dibbs for some ass! Well, I don't know what you've got going on with Chirrut, or what kind of people you're used to dealing with, but you won't be getting any goodies from me. So, don't bother trying to sound all pure and innocent, hoping you can work your way into my pants. It's not gonna happen! I won't be coming to you for anything, because I don't need you for anything! And, the next time you go to collect your share, I want _you_ to know that if I'm anywhere near by, I'll be sure to get you just what you deserve: A proper kick in your arse!"

Rey walks over to her bed, throwing her prison clothes on the mattress. "Now, please be on your way, so that I can change my clothes in peace. And don't bother to stick around for a preview!"

87 storms out of her cell, slamming the door closed. He then stomps off to fulfil his other duties.

Rey, suddenly feeling guilty over what she said to him, runs towards the bar, watching him leave.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment and share your thoughts!


	5. Be mindful of your surroundings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> FN-2187 and Rey wonder about each other; Slip has a confession; Someone Rey cares about gets attacked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so here we are again! The Finn/Rey tag is cluttered with a bunch of Reylo nonsense. I really wish people would stay in their own lanes, but people will do what they want.
> 
> So, while I'm still working on 'The Future I want with you', I've been getting people asking me for an update to this story! So, without further ado, here's Chapter five.
> 
> Warning! This Chapter will contain a Rape Scene!

"Well, I don't know about you, 87. But, I could use a drink." Slip says, throwing his helmet down on the bottom bunk.

"I'm good, but help yourself." 87 says.

Slip looks up at his old friend, sitting in his bunk on top. "Come on, 87! That loud-mouthed bitch just gave you a hard time when you were just trying to help her. The least you could do is help yourself to a drink or two. Or three or four."

87 can't help but smile at his friend.

"I'll buy." Slip says singsongy.

87 shakes his head. "Naw. It's almost curfew and I'm really tired. So, thanks Slip. But, no thanks."

"Curfew isn't for another couple of hours." Slips reminds him. "We wouldn't be going very far and the best thing is... we can go out, dressed as civvies."

87 looks down at Slip with a frown. "Civvies?"

"Yeah, man! Since most people who live on _Pendulum_ are mostly Stormtroopers, the prisoners, and anyone who stops by looking to trade or enjoy a drink, we won't be breaking any rules. Come on. We'll help ourselves to a few shots and be back here before the locks are deadbolted."

87 considers for a few moments, but still declines.

Slip shrugs. "Alright, 87. You go ahead and get some sleep. I'll be out on the town, looking to score tonight."

"And, if you do, and you're not back here by curfew, I won't be helping you sneak back in." 87 warns.

"You're no fun, 87!" Slip shouts as he steps out. "No fun at all."

87 turns off the lights and lies on his back. He closes his eyes only for them to open up, seemingly on their own. For some reason, he can't get that girl out of his mind. While she's not the first prisoner... Nor the first person to talk down to him that way. For some reason, she's the one who's left a deeper impression that others. 87 can't put his finger on it, but she's definitely someone who's going to be a handful during her stay here. And she's definitely someone who's going to give Finn some serious trouble.

 

 

As Rey lies in her bed in her cell, her thoughts keep going back to the 'Trooper who brought her in here. For some reason, as she finds herself staring at the ceiling of her cage, she can't help but feel... guilty(?) about the way she treated him.

'Why should I feel bad about some trooper?' Rey thinks to herself. 'He's just another bucket head. Probably gonna wind up getting killed if he gets in her way.' But, Rey can't help but hope not. 'This is crazy. I mean, here I am, on Pendulum with Taz Lisker and having just met General Leia's old Friend Chirrut. Everything going pretty smoothly. And, at some point tonight, Poe should be getting here to get us off of this rock. Yeah, all's going good. And, here I am, worrying about so trooper. Maybe I've been getting a little too soft since I met Poe.'

A sound down at the bottom of the Cell Block, what's known as the Sublevels, draws her attention outside her cell. 

She gets up out of bed and opens the shatterproof glass view window by pressing a button on her cell door.

She hears sounds like people whistling and speaking barely below a shout, saying things like:

'Hey, new fish. You want some company?'

Or

'Whew-we! I can't wait to have you boys for breakfast!'

'What's wrong, Fish? You scared of the dark?'

The rest of what's been said is overlapping and getting a little too loud for her to understand.

Rey squints down at the cells in the Sublevels but doesn't see anything or any people. Just a bunch of Convicts, looking to get a reaction out of the new arrivals.

"Hey." A voice calls out. Rey looks around, trying to locate where that voice is coming from. "Hey, dimples."

Rey looks out of the view window of her cell to see half of a man's face, staring at her like with a look that Rey could only describe as 'Friendly'.

"Now, don't you let them folks down there get you all spun up. There's plenty of people here who know what's going on and who isn't looking for anything... except for maybe someone to talk to. If you want, I can be that for you."

Rey frowns, seeing right through the crap he was pitching her. She then closes the view windows and goes back to bed.

Through the window, she can see the shadow of a hand reaches out and makes a fist. The fist then begins to knock on the window.

"Hey. Hey, open up. Just wanted to let you know I wanna be friends. There's nothing wrong with having friends, right? Come on, baby girl. Come open up this window, so we can talk."

He continues to knock. "Hey! New Neighbor here! Just wantin' to talk to you a little. Open up, little birdy. Open up."

"Open up." He says singsongy.

"Come on. Come on back here and talk to me. I don't have any friends. And I wanna be friends with you."

He continues knocking.

"Come to the window now.." He says in an almost threatening manner. "Or you won't be making anything but a lonely man VERY unhappy."

Now, he's knocking even harder now. "Hey, Bitch! What's your problem, huh?! I'm just trying to be neighborly and you won't even open up the Goddamn window to talk!! I tried to be nice, but now I'll take what I want from you! You better not be a snitch, 'cause now, I'll be coming for ya!"

Rey throws a pillow over her head, trying to drown out the noise of the window being pounded on. She squeezes the pillow against her face in a desperate ploy to go to sleep as the knocks somehow only get louder and harder.

 

 

87 springs awake from his deep sleep, just seconds before the broadcast comes on to his left.

'Damn.' 87 thinks to himself. 'Another night with another stupid dream.'

From what he remembers of it, he was a little boy who was spending his first day at Recruitment camp, trying to find ways to get away from his captors in the white armors. After time he tried to get away, he'd find himself put right back where he started: A room with no doors and no windows. Just a trapdoor on top of that room.

'If all this is just a dream, why is it that I keep a bunch of dreams that are playing out like a story in a holonovel or 'film?' His dreams have all been very... Linear.

Just as the Broadcast shuts off, throwing the room back into darkness, 87 jumps out of his bunk to find... Slip nowhere to be seen.

'Hmm. Maybe he really did find a warm bed to sleep in instead.' 87 thinks to himself, careful not to picture Slip doing anything nasty. He cleans himself up, polishes his armor to a mirror-like shine, puts it on, and heads out the door.

 

 

As par usual, 87 eats his breakfast in the main 'Trooper mess hall. Only this time in silence, since Slip isn't there. And, once everyone hears the three beeps, they immediately stop eating and head out to work.

Nines and Zero get to their feet, laughing as they talk and putting on their helmets, heading for Cell Block R. So, he'll...

'Oh! That's right! I'm in Cellblock G!' 87 remembers. 'I won't have to deal with those two at all now!' 87 silently cheers to himself as he follows the rest of the Flood of Stormtroopers out the large doors.

 

 

A lift carrying two 'troopers opens up after arriving at the bottom floor.

The two Stormtroopers enter into an area in the lower levels of Pendulum. They enter into a long hallway, marked 'Solitary Confinement', where there are rows and rows of capsule like cells are either unoccupied or holding a convict.

They step up to a cell listed as (Capsule# 919) and type in a code to unlock it.

Stream fills the room as a cell in the 'Cold Room' opens.

"Now, if you're done cooling off for the night, convict, you can get in line for chow this morning." 

Taz, the guy who was shouting to a smiling Rey from yesterday, sits there shivering.

"Hey, it's your world, Boss." Taz says, voice trembling.

 

 

Taz grabs a tray and walks in the very long chow line, ready to eat breakfast. As he walks in line, he notices Rey, who was about, oh... 13 people ahead of him. He leans over, trying to see if he can get her attention. But, she seems distracted. Like she's looking for someone herself.

Once Rey has her food, she walks over to one of the many tables in the middle of the Cafeteria.

It's roughly eleven minutes before Taz can get his food, but once he does, he heads Rey's way. Walking through the crowd of Prisoners, without bumping into one of them proves to be a difficult to do. First of all, everyone's walking way too close to Taz, so he's gotta be careful not to step on someone's foot or accidently running into someone else or even looking someone the wrong way.

Just as he's moving through this crazy obstacle course, one convict purposely stands in his way, grabbing his arms and staring at him like he sees something he looks. This Convict is a native of Mandalore, if his tattoos were anything to go by.

But, as the guy squeezes and caresses his biceps, Taz just snatches away from him, gawking at him with an uncomfortable expression. 

Just then, he sets his eyes on Rey, and hurries to the table where she's sitting at.

While the Mandalorian inmate stares at him as he walks away. He then walks off himself, but not without someone watching him either. At a table behind where the Mandalorian was standing, is that same Prisoners who was eyeballing Taz yesterday. Apparently, he just enjoying looking at guys walk away.

Taz walks towards Rey, just over her left shoulder. She's talking to an elderly Asian Gentleman with a thin gray beard.

He gently sets his tray on the table next to hers and says 'Friend'.

Rey looks up at him and immediately gets to her feet and pulls him in for a hug. "Hey!" She says.

Taz just laughs as he holds her tightly. "Hey, Girl!"

Pulling back from it, Rey smiles brightly at her friend. "Hey, you okay?" She notices that his shirt is slightly damp.

"Oh, I was, uh... Sleeping in a cooler last night. Guess they don't like noisy newcomers."

"But, they didn't hurt you, did they?" Rey asks, concern in her voice.

"Naw." Taz says. "And, if they did, you know I can handle it!"

"Oh, yeah." Rey says, nodding her head. "That's right. Oh!" Rey exclaims. "Taz, this is Chirrut! Chirrut, that's Taz!"

Taz goes around to where Chirrut stands up and they shake hands, greeting each other warmly.

The three of them all take a seat, conversing as they eat their breakfast.

"So, how was your first night in lock up, Rey?" Taz asks, like it was something everyday people just did.

Rey groans. "I barely got six hours of sleep in. Guy next to me, wouldn't stop banging on the door."

"I take it he was looking for an easy mark?" Chirrut asks.

Rey, catching on to what he was suggesting, nods. "Yeah, but, he won't be getting anything from me. If last night wasn't the last time he 'asks' that, it will be if he tries anything."

"That's what I'm talking!" Taz says.

"Better believe it." Rey says back.

"So, is he up to speed?" Taz asks Rey about Chirrut.

"Yep. He knows he's got friends still out there looking after him." Rey answers.

"It's so nice to be able to rely on people you care about, yeas?" Chirrut says.

"Yes!" Taz says back, smiling. "And, don't you worry, Mr. Imwe. We'll have you free as a Convor in no time. Meanwhile, just know that you need anything, you can come to me or Rey here."

"That's good to know." Chirrut says with a smile. "Maybe if I could get one of you to help me back to my cell, that'll be a great start."

"I can get you back..." Taz leans in closer to Chirrut. "...With a couple of sweets from the trough, if you like."

Chirrut chuckles. "I. Like. You."

Taz, Rey, and Chirrut all laugh together. Despite where they are, the mood here is pretty nice. Well, at least for the moment.

 

 

FN-2187's second day in Cell Block G actually isn't back. Between the Prisoners there behaving and following the rules to the Stormtroopers not taking advantage of them is such a nice touch. Far more peaceful that Cell Block R. There's no Nines or Zeros to deal with. No Prisoners suddenly going missing and reappearing with bruises. Everyone is much more professional. Much more kinder. It's the easiest day 87's had since coming to work on _Pendulum_.

Except, of course, he misses his friend, Slip, who's back with the aforementioned Dickheads in 'R'. He suddenly feels sorry for FN-2003. He knows that Nines and Zeros seem to live only to give the two of them a hard time. And, him being alone now, just didn't sit very well with 87. Hopefully, he'll get a chance to talk with him before their shift ends tonight.

 

 

During Lunch, 87 heads towards the Lounge, where he sees Slip heading out with some other Troopers, laughing and talking up a storm. Curious, 87 heads that way.

Slip, upon seeing his friend appearing, stands to his feet and greets him.

"Well, here you are." Slip says. "I thought you'd be working well through Lunch for a minute."

"No." 87 chuckles. "When it's time to take a break, I don't waste a second. So, what's the latest? Where were you last night?"

Slip's all smiles in that moment. "Mannnnn!" He drags out. "Let me tell you! I met the most gorgeous man in all of _Pendulum_. Eyes that can pierce a soul, a voice like music made by the angels. And a smile that could make even Mock blush. Whew! It was like a dream."

Slip gently grabs 87's shoulder as he leads him to the lunch counter.

"I was just sitting there, kinda hoping for some company. But, nothing. For three and a half hours, I was just sitting there alone, barely four shots in where out of nowhere, this handsome Latino Hunk came and asked me if he could keep me company. He'd been watching me for the last half hour before he walked over. 'He was waiting for me to notice him, so that he could come over but got tired of waiting', he said. I guess he was just smooth like that. Words just rolled off his tongue like water off a waxed Speeder."

"Smooth." 87 says back, nodding his head. Slip smiles and pat him on the back. " _I_ thought it was!"

87 gets his lunch and follows Slip back to the table with his new friends.

"So, what happened next?" 87 asks.

"Yeah, come on!" FN-9827 says. "What happened?"

"Well, I don't if it was the shots of brimstone we were drinking or if I was just tired, but man. He was perfect. The while time I was talking, he just kept staring into my eyes and glancing down at my lips. I could tell he wanted to kiss me, but was just waiting for his moment." Slip playfully elbows 87. "So, after I was just rambling on, I'm so nervous right now, he just... leans over and kisses me."

'Oh!' One Female Trooper purrs.

"His lips..." Slip closes his eyes, gently caressing his lip with his index fingers. "...Were warm... and soft... and just made me lose all train of thought. And after he pulled back, he apologized for cutting me off. He just couldn't help himself."

"And what did you do?" 9827 asks.

"I pulled him back in for another!" Slip says proudly.

A barrage of 'OHs!' And 'Nice one' Were just thrown at Slip. 87 pats Slip on the back, smiling.

"Not wasting anymore time, he takes me back the arm and brought me to his ship outside the Saloon. In his room, he peppered my entire body with kisses and his strong hands worked their magic, caressing me as he undressed me." Slip leans back, savoring his memory of that night. "Man, Whoever said there's nothing like their first time knew what they were talking about. Once he had me on the bed, he flipped me over on my stomach. Once he was out of his clothes, he put himself inside my..."

"OH-kay!" FN-9827 exclaims. "We don't need a visual. Whatever happened between you and your man... Is between you and your man. Glad you had a good time, but leave out the details. Please!"

"Well, anyway..." Slip says. "I just spent the night in his room on his ship. That's why I was late this morning."

"Well, OH-Oh!" A loud, slow clapping sounds causes everyone turns to see Nines... By himself, for a chance, approaching their table. "Little Slip popped his Cherry!"

Slip smiles at him. He holds up two fingers. "Twice!"

"Damn!" Nines says. "A nice embellishment! Very nice!"

87 looks between Nines and Slip. 'Since when were these two chummy?' He wonders.

"Finally! You've made to the table with the big boys!" Nines sits to Slip's left side as 87 sits on his right, eyeballing this sudden, new friendship between them.

"Only little 87 is left." He looks over Slip's right shoulder, over at 87. "When are you gonna stop living like such a choirboy and start having some fun?!"

87's eyes narrow at Nines, who looks at him with an expression that says, 'I'm calling you out. What are you gonna do about it?'

"When are you gonna take the lead and get yourself laid? Slip here could do it." Nines playfully shakes Slip. "You can, too."

87 doesn't say anything. He just turns so that he could eat his food. Slip looks over at him with a combination of sadness and fear.

"Look, I'll tell you what. I happen to know a couple of lady convicts who could a blaster round out of a rifle. All you really need is some fresh fruit from the Bazaar from West town. How about I set yo up with the food and they'll cover the rest. Huh? How about that? I can do that for you, man. No problem. Some people just need a handout every now and again. Right?" He asks Slip.

Slip only offers a half smile and a shrug.

87, who can take no more of Nines' abuse, simply gets up with his tray and walks off to another table.

Nines, who's arm is still wrapped around Slip, simply waves him away. He then chuckles to himself as he removes his arm to chow down.

Slip looks back at his friend, feeling ashamed of what he didn't do for 87.

 

 

Taz is working in the scrap yard, Finding reusable pieces of wrecked Star destroyers and other First Order vehicles, when he's called to load up some more tools for the Workers.

He gets down off of the Star Destroyer and heads over to the tool shed.

Someone, in the crowd, watches him heading that way, and follows after him.

 

 

Taz grabs a buggy, and begins loading the ordered tools into the basket, pulling six of everything. He grabs a plasma lance and looks up to see someone, standing in the back of the same aisle where he's gathering tools. 

Not knowing what this person wants, Taz simply grabs his buggy and goes back the other way. As he walks into another aisle, he can feel the hairs on the back of his head standing up. He hurries trying to put what he needs into the buggy, so he can get out of there. 

But, as he starts to walk out of there, he stops in his tracks when he sees the man in the shadows, standing right in front of him. He then turns around and leaves out of there.

He starts going down more aisle and looks to his right, quickly discovering, to his horror, that the man is walking side by side with him on the opposite side of the aisles. The man keeps his eyes on Taz, matching his moments and speed exactly.

Taz begins to sweat. He tries to hurry for the door way out. He then looks back to his right and sees the man now power walking down an aisle. Taz then steps on it, knowing full well that when that guy comes out, he'll be right behind him.

He tries to the exit quickly, but slows down when he realizes that the way out is blocked by more guys. 

He looks from left to right, counting about seven guys. And the one in the middle, starts to make his way to Taz. 

Taz turns around to see the man following, pushes the buggy out of the way, and wraps his arms around Taz. 'It's the guy from the Cafeteria!' Taz realizes.

Taz tries to run, but the Mandalorian holds him in a death grip. He can't get out of it. And the longer he's stuck in his grip, the more he begins to panic.

"You!" The Mandalorian says. "You bumped into me this morning!"

"DIDN'T MEAN TO!" Taz says.

"Doesn't matter. You did, anyway. And, you didn't even try to say you were sorry."

"I am! I really am, man! Just let me go!" Taz pleads.

"Oh, you're gonna be!" The Mandalorian says. He leans in, trying to forceful kiss Taz, but Taz is having none of it. He almost breaks his own neck, trying to get away from the Mandalorian's mouth.

The Mandalorian then head butts Taz and punches him in the stomach.

Taz kneels down, holding his stomach in pain.

The Mandalorian then hits him in the head, dropping him hard on the floor. He then drops to his knees, straddling Taz's hips.

He grabs his head and slams it down hard three times onto the concentrate floor.

He then begins to undo his pants, so that he could have his fun with him. As Taz tries to get out, the Mandalorian holds his head down, undoing his pants with one hand.

He then leans in close to Taz's ear. "Just so you know, my name's Mosetti. Say it."

Taz struggles trying to get out of his grasps.

"Say IT!!" He shouts.

"MOSETTI!!" Taz shouts.

"OH, YEAH! I wanna hear you scream it for me!"

"No, man! PLEASE!!!" Taz screams.

Just as Mosetti rips off his shirt, an arm wraps around his forehead and a shank slices his throat from ear to ear. He gargles as blood fills his lungs and streams out the wound. He falls over, holding his neck in a vain attempt to stop the bleeding.

Taz watches in shock, and the sound of a boot dropping just above his head causes him to face forward.

A hand reaches out from him to take, which he does.

As he gets to his feet, the man who helped him up with the same man who was watching Mosetti earlier this morning and Taz from yesterday.

"You okay?" The 'watcher' asks.

"Yeah, thanks, man. Thank you." Taz says.

"Not a problem." Taz's rescuer looks down at the now dead Mosetti. "Mandalorians. They have completely lost their minds as well as their world."

"That was too close a call, man. What's your name?" The 'Watcher' asks.

"Taz. Taz Lisker." Taz holds out his hand for the man to shake. He looks down at it and back up at Taz, smiling.

"Well, Taz Lisker..." He shakes Taz's hand. "I'm Cleric. Belser. And these Gentleman..."

The other six men come walking over. "...Are the Belser Boys."

"Hey. How are ya, fellas?" Taz says, catching his breath.

"You two. Come over here." Cleric orders.

Two of his guys walk over to where he's standing.

"Make a mental copy of this asshole's face. I want it tattooed on his right hand.

"What?" Taz asks.

Cleric turns to face him. "I collect tattoos..." He removes his shirt, showing off the many tattoos covering his chest and torso. "...Of anyone I kill. It's like a memorial on my body. I don't want to forget who they were or why I killed them."

"Oh." Taz says, not sure how to respond to that. "Okay. Well, I gonna go now..."

"Do you know why I do that?" Cleric asks.

He looks over at Taz, who only shakes his head.

"It's because, no one on this miserable rock will. I take it upon myself to personally guarantee that they didn't come to Pendulum, only to die by the hand of myself or my friends here and be forgotten. By wearing their faces and names, they get to live on as a part... of me."

"Wow. that's uh..." Taz choses his next words very carefully. "That's deep. Takes a special kind of man who'd want to remember his enemies."

"Oh, that's very kind to say. Though, they weren't all my enemies. Take this man for instance. I didn't kill him, because he wronged me in some way. I simply killed him because I didn't want him to take away something that I wanted."

Taz slowly backs away from Cleric. "And, what exactly did you want?" He bumped into the largest member of the Belser Boys.

Cleric turns around to face him again. "You."

The Big Guy grabs Taz by the neck, picking him up into the air.

 

 

FN-2187, FN-2003, and several others come running into the Scrap yard, looking for one of Kylo Ren's War Criminal.

Upon seeing the man in charge, 87 confronts him.

"Where's Lisker?" 87 asks.

"Who?" The Boss asks.

"The Convict who started working here today."

"I don't know." The Boss says. "I send him to collect some tool about an hour ago. He hasn't come back yet. Guessing he skipped out."

"What's your registration code?" 87 asks.

"Why do you need to know?"

"Just... Give it to him!" Dawn demands, as she steps forward.

"FN-0716."

"I'll be filing you for charges of convict Negligence." Dawn says.

"What?! OH! Seriously, Dawn. Must you always be an annoying Shit?" 0716 asks.

"That man is one of the new Prisoners who arrived here on Pendulum. Supreme Leader Snoke personally wanted to question them about a secret."

0716 sighs. "...So..."

"So, they're Kylo Ren's Prisoners."

"Oh, dear GOD!" 0716 in a panic. "LISKER?!? WHERE'S LISKER?!! GO FIND HIM!!!"

 

Taz grunts as he's held down over a table by the Belser boys. His face is bloodied and his clothes ripped to shreds. 

Behind him, Cleric thrusts in and out of him, moaning in pleasure. "Yeah! Yeah, baby! AHH!"

The Boys laugh as their Leader flexes his biceps as him show off. Taking great pride in humiliating Taz and slapping Taz's ass.

"Motherfucker is holding me tight! He's holding me tight, boys!" Cleric laughs. "He loves this shit! He wants more of it! You want more of it, don't cha, you fucking Cock monger!"

Just then, the door bursts open, and the Stormtroopers order them to stop what they're doing immediately.

The Boys all do exactly that. And Cleric pulls out of Taz, holding his hands up with exposing himself to the Troopers.

"GOD!!" Dawn exclaims. "Put your... thing away!"

"What's wrong, Ma'am? Never seen a Cock before?"

"I have. But, I don't like looking at them! I like girls better! Now, put it away before you lose it."

Not willing to risk it, Cleric pulls his pants up and fastens them to his waist.

"Get away!" 87 orders. "Get away!"

The Belser boys slowly back away from Taz. 87 checks his pulse.

"He's got a low pulse." He says.

Dawn walks over, looking at his face. "They worked him over pretty good." She takes a closer look at his body. Beaten and blooded. "Looks like they wanted to torture him more than they wanted to fuck him."

"Ma'am! Over here! We've got a body!" Slip calls out.

Dawn goes over, standing next to Slip. 

"He was a Mandalorian." Slip points out.

"Yeah. Mosetti. One of the last truly proud Mandalorians left." Dawn comments.

"And, now, just another corpse on the floor." Slip says.

Dawn looks up over at the Belsers. "You 7 will be placed in Solitary until we get this mess cleaned up! Troopers, take them away!"

Following her orders, the Belser boys are all lead away.

87 helps Taz get his pants back out and takes what's left of his shirt and uses it try and clear his face as best he could. "Call a gurney down here!" He tells Slip. "NOW!!"

 

 

As Taz is being rushed to the infirmary, Nines steps in front of his gurney and demands to know what's going on.

"Out of the way, Nines!" 87 shouts. "This man needs medical attention."

"Is he dead?" Nines asks.

"No, but he..." 

"But, nothing! Get him off that Gurney. He can carry himself there."

 

 

Somewhere in the sea of noisy Convicts, Rey walks with Chirrut and notices a bunch of Stormtroopers carrying a bloody man through the Cell blocks. But, they appear to be arguing about something. 

Curious herself, Rey steps up a little closer, just to try and get a good look at his face.

But, upon seeing that it's Taz lying on that gurney, Rey freaks out and run to check on her friend.

 

"I'm not letting you in there unless you provide me a good reason to!" Nines shouts.

Rey pushes pass Nines and another trooper. Horror is plain as day in her eyes. She slowly walks up to Taz.

"Taz?" Rey calls out.

He looks up at her. And since his right eye was swollen shut and the other one left droopy, he smiles up at her with his left one barely opened. 

"Hey, Girl." He says weakly.

Rey looks up at a Stormtrooper, (Who happens to be FN-2187) and attacks him. "You BASTARDS!! What did you do him?!?" She hits and pushes 87 up against the wall, screaming and cursing at him. Her eyes filled with sorrow and rage. "What the hell have you done to him?! You Bastards! You evil BASTARDS!"

Rey is forcefully pulled away from 87 by four other troopers. "What have you done?! What have you done?!?"

"Shut up, Lady!! Or I'll kill you!!" Nines shouts, aiming his blaster at her. Rey stands her ground, staring Nines dead in the face.

"NO!!" 87 shouts, getting between Rey and Nines.

"This man was attacked by the Belser boys. He is a war criminal, captured from the Resistance and one of Kylo Ren's Prisoners."

That got Nines' attention.

"So, unless you want to deal with Lord Kylo himself, I suggest you move. If this man dies, I won't be taking a beating along with you. I will PERSONALLY tell him that he stood in the way and that he died as a result. Now, come on! Move! Move it, Nines!"

Nines then takes the lead, ordering other troopers to clear the way to the Infirmary. He tells the other Convicts to get the Fuck outta the way.

As 87 goes to follow them, Rey gets in his way again.

"What did you do to him?" Rey snarls.

"What? I just told you, he was attacked by the bel..."

"What did you do to him?!" She raises her voice.

"You know what? Move! I don't have time for this!"

He goes to push pass Rey, but Rey grabs his left hand. 

Another hand appears, resting on Rey's shoulder. Rey flexes and turns to see that it's Chirrut.

"He did no harm to Taz. Let him go, Rey."

Rey looks back at the trooper, her frown slowly soothing to a confused glare.

"Rey..." Chirrut says in a calm but firm tone. "Let him go. he's trying to help."

Rey frown briefly at Chirrut, who nods at her. Her grip slowly loosen until she's let 87 go completely.

87 slowly backs away from her. Looking at her forehead vein, makes him want to smooth it away with a kiss.

'What the hell? She's threatening you and you wanna kiss her?! Come on! Pull your head out of your ass, 87!' He thinks to himself. He then runs after the other Troopers.

"Why did you make me do that?" Rey asks.

"Because he's been nothing but kind to you." Chirrut says. "And you've shown him nothing but contempt."

"What do you mean? He's just another Stormtrooper." Rey argues.

"Not true. You've met this particular Stormtrooper many times during your stay here. In fact, my young friend there even tried to feed you, and you wouldn't let him."

Rey frowns again. "That trooper from the confinement cells?"

"Yes. The same trooper who was there the day you arrived. He was standing right in front of you just then."

Rey looks after him. "How do you know?"

Chirrut slowly nods as he closes his eyes. "I could sense him. I know his heart. The Force shows us many things. I can teach you how to know the difference between every other trooper... and... him."

Rey's face softens as she looks over at Chirrut in surprise.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment and share your thoughts!


	6. Let's try this again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tensions between the Assigned Stormtroopers rises; Rey and 87 talk; Nines makes a deal with Cleric; An unpleasant surprise appears on Pendulum.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FN-2187 finally gets a real name!

Through the windows of the Infirmary, 87 watches as the Medics perform surgery on Lisker. He slowly removes his helmet and the look on his face shows an enormous guilt for not being there to stop it from happening. (Of course, this isn't his fault, and he knows it. But that doesn't make the guilt he's feeling any lighter.) He leans his arm against the glass and rests his forehead against it.

The sound of boots stomping catches 87's ears. And even though he's not even looking at their reflection in the glass, he knows there standing right behind him.

"What's that look?" Asks Zeros. 

87 sighs, not answering.

"He's a scumbag. He was basically asking to be here. And whatever happens here- it's more than justified."

87 frowns and slowly turns around to face Zeros. "Is that suppose to make me laugh?"

"It's suppose to make you think." Zeros argues. "You know, that's always been your biggest issue, 87. You take on the troubles of everyone you meet."

"That's because not everyone here is guilt of the crimes that they've been accused of." 87 argues back.

Zeroes removes his own helmet and gets in 87's face. "Really?!" He snarls, looking at him like he's clueless. "If you really knew what these convicts were, you'd drink a bottle of sphinx everytime one of them gets dropped."

87 frowns, looking Zeros in the eye. "What could happened to you, Zeros? How did you get so cold to the people around you, who need help?"

Zeros looks like he wants to spit right in 87's face. "What happened to me?! You wanna know what happened to me?" Zeros whispers. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a portable holoprojector. "Do you know who the man is in this caption?"

87 takes it from Zeros. "FN-2001. Yeah."

"He and I were cadets together. For 10 years, we trained, and fought, and suffered, and we did it all for the glory of the First Order. Did you also know that he was gonna get married?"

87 looks up in surprise. "No, I didn't."

"Well, he was. He was in a relationship with a lovely lady who fathered his child. He wouldn't stop talking about that 'wonderful woman', who said 'yes' when he asked her to marry him. He would go on and on about he was planning to spend the rest of his life with her. He even asked me to be his best man."

Without a word, 87 returns the projector to Zeros. Zeros all but snatches it away from 87. "It was about two years ago." He tucks it back in his pocket inside his armor. "He was on a routine supply pickup on Lothal. He was hauling food to the troopers in the mid rim during the war effort. A couple of Resistance sympathizers--Nobodies, rigged a bomb to go off when he and the 'Troopers he was with hit the upper atmosphere. In two seconds, he would from a proud father with a beautiful woman on his arm and a rising star in the FN Corps... to another dead trooper lost in deep space. And those two assholes who did it, were seen by some of our men, being paraded like Celebrities. Spreading the word of victory to the Resistance! That's the thanks we get for fighting for the glory of  our Supreme Leader. So, excuse the fuck outta me if I find a bad thing happening to these shit-for-brains hysterically laughable."

Before 87 can respond, the door to the infirmary slides upward. He looks over, seeing Dawn, Nines, Slip, and a female medic walking in. All their helmets removed.

Dawn walks up to the two Troopers. "Any news?"

87 shakes his head. "No. He's still in surgery."

Zeros replaces his helmet on his head. The anger in his eyes does not escape Nines' notice.

"Mock's been breathing down my neck all afternoon. He's demanding some kind of update."

There's a tapping on the glass. The head of Surgery directs the troopers towards his office. Dawn nods, gesturing that her troops go on ahead of her. She hangs back, taking the hand of the female Medic they walked in with.

Dawn leans in, whispering something in her ear, causing her to smile and shyly covers her neck with her shoulder. Dawn smiles back, briefly squeezing her hand before let it go. Winking at her before heading to the office in the back.

 

 

Zeros walks down the hallway with Nines closing in behind him.

"Hey. Hold up." Nines says, gently grapping Zeros arm. Zeros turns to see his friend walking up to his left. "Take that off for a sec, alright?" Referring to Zeros' helmet.

Hesitantly, Zeros does.

Noticing just how red his face still is, Nines looks his Partner in the eye. "You wanna tell me what's got you so upset?"

"That dickhead, 87." Zeros answers, begrudgingly.

Nines bites his tongue. "What'd he do now?"

"He had the balls to question what I doing here. It's clear that he doesn't have the nerve to do what needs to be done."

Nines looks at Zeros, amazed. "I can't believe that you let that wuss get you so spun up. There's no reason to explain anything to him or anyone else. So, why entertain him at all?"

"I brought up '01." Zeros says.

Nines' eyes soften up. "Oh. I, I... I see. Well... In that case, you don't worry so much about him questioning you and you gonna all upset. Instead, you hold on to that anger and let it out on the assholes who deserve every bad thing that happens to them. Best thing about the Prisoners here is that they populate the Prison that is Pendulum. That's more than a few hundred... billion people. So, if any goes missing, it's not our job to keep track of every last one. You know what I'm saying?"

Zeros looks up, nodding understandingly. "Yeah, I nod what you're saying."

Nines and Zeros then fist bump.

"A tender moment." Dawn teases.

Not wanting to deal with her at that moment, they both continue on to the Office. Dawn's right behind them.

 

 

"The Prisoner has suffered blunt force trauma to the right side of his cranium. Three of his ribs were broken. His left eye was swollen up pretty badly. And his Anal Cavity had been invaded and there's tracks of semen found on his undergarments."

Nines and Zeros snicker at the last detail.

Choosing to ignore them, Dawn speaks up. "So, is the damage too severe? Is he gonna survive this?"

Doctor Hetts nods his head. "While the Patient is indeed in critical condition, he'll be fine. It'll take some time and some much needed therapy, I do believe that his will make a full recovery."

Breathing a sigh of relief, Dawn nods to the Doctor, who then turns to leave his own office.

Dawn turns back to her troops. "As stated in protocol, all troops who were responsible for certain prisoners must be present before Warden Mock to debrief him on what happened. But, just between us, you all turning up there allows him to take you all at face value. So, when he sees that you're all there, you'll be dismissed and ordered to return to your posts. I'll stay and take whatever heat he dishes out."

They all nod and leave out.

Dawn takes a deep breath before slowly exhaling it. 'Let's just get there over with.' She thinks to herself.

 

 

"You realize that I'm gonna have to report this to Kylo Ren?!" Mock screams the five present troopers. Turns out that Mock didn't dismiss them before he started yelling at them. "It's bad enough it happened while none of you were present, but what makes it worse is that I'm gonna have ta deal with that whiny ass, man-sized child with the bitch fits."

87 smiles behind his helmet. 'A perfect description.'

Mock leans over his desk and sighs disappointedly. "The four of you are dismissed."

87 and Slip turn to leave. While Nines and Zeros slowly back up.

Mock wipes his face, frustrated with the situation. He closes his eyes and sighs.

"Do we have _any_ idea who may have done this?" Mock asks.

"We do, sir." Said, not by Dawn, but by Nines.

Mock turns around to see that Nines and Zeros is still standing there. "I told you that you were dismissed."

"I apologize, Sir. But, I cannot, in good conscience, allow Commander Dawn here to be punished for something she had no control over."

Mock looks at him like he's looking at a complete fool. As does Commander Dawn. "You think that your opinion carries any weight around here, FN-2199? You've recently be demoted back down to private. Is that correct?"

Nines bites his tongue again. "Yessir."

"So, what makes you think I give two shits about what makes you feel bad?" Mock asks... mockingly.

"Because that info I have will have made up for upsetting you, Sir." Nines counter.

Mock gives Nines a sarcastically innocent expression. "Upset? Me? Oh, no! You've got me all wrong, FN-2199. I'm not upset. Upset is what you call a child who throws tantrums. I am NOT upset. I'm FURIOUS!!!"

"Sir! Sir, please. Go easy on yourself." Dawn pleads.

Mock leans forward, catching himself by bracing himself on his knees. 

The Other troopers look at him, worried.

Mock catches his breath slowly, standing straight up again. 

"Who was it?" Mock asks, this time in a much calmer matter.

"It was Cleric and the Belser Boys." Nines answers.

Mock looks confused. "Who?"

"The thugs behind those thefts on Coruscant, Sir." Zeros says.

"Oh." Mock remembers. "Oh, the thieves turned sodomites."

"Yessir." Nines nods.

"And, where are they, presently?" 

"In lock-up, Sir." Nines says.

"Bring me to them." Mock orders.

 

 

Later than evening, FN-2187 walks through the steel mill, lost in thought. 'With everything going on, he's completely forgotten that he's been ordered to reconditioning. 'What a time to be a Stormtrooper!' He thinks to himself. 'Fuck me!'

With all this noise, it makes it hard to form sentences in his head and brainstorm on what he's gonna do next.

While he's walking down the giant vats containing liquid durasteel, he doesn't notice Rey chanting it up with some of the other workers.

But, she notices him. 

She excuses herself before running after him.

"Excuse me?" Rey calls out.

87 still doesn't notice her.

"Excuse me. Trooper?" Rey asks.

Snapping out of it, 87 turns to see Rey running up to him. Why is he suddenly so excited to see her?

"I have a problem that I need to discuss with you." Rey says.

87 folds his arms and shrugs. "So, talk."

"Not out here." Rey says. She looks around, noticing another Stormtrooper looking her way.

She smiles before grabbing 87's left arm, tugging him towards the back, where the janitor's closet is.

"There's something I need to work out with you." Rey whispers.

87 looks up, not sure what to make of what she's saying. 'Is she... does she mean...?' He looks over at the other 'trooper, who's still eyeballing them.

He turns back to Rey, nodding slightly.

She nods back.

He lightly pushes her to move forward while he follows behind her. She turns and looks back at him, smiling deviously. 

Once they disappear from view, the trooper turns and faces forward. Acting as if nothing is out of the ordinary.

 

 

Rey opens the Janitor's closet, gesturing for FN-2187 to go in. She takes another look around, making sure no one else is watching. Once she sees it's clear, she closes the door.

Rey looks up at the Trooper, who appears to be... nervous?

He's wringing his hands and is unable to stand still. Much less, in one place.

"Are you... okay?" Rey asks.

"Uh... We... we're in a closet." 87 says.

"Yeah." Rey says in a 'duh' tone. "Don't tell me you're claustrophobic."

"I'm not." 87 says. "I'm just uh..." He inhales. "Why are we in a closet?"

Rey frowns at the trooper, not entirely sure why he's like this. But, she doesn't say anything about it.

"...You're the trooper from the platform." It wasn't a question. "The one who came between that other one, me and Taz."

87 nods.

"You're also the one who was down in solitary when Chirrut and I were locked up."

87 nods again.

"And again, when Taz was being taken away."

87 tilts his head, not sure where she's going with this.

"Chirrut has been teaching me how to spot certain stormtroopers." Rey says, like 87 is supposed to know what that means.

"I've been..." Rey pauses, finding her words. "...Looking for you, I guess. Through the Force. When I saw you walking around in the steel mill, I just knew it was you."

FN-2187 goes her the same look that Mock and Dawn gave Nines earlier that afternoon. Like she's completely crazy. And, because of the helmet, she can't see the look on his face.

But, she seems to know what he's thinking. Because she has this look of offense, glaring at him. "I'm not crazy. Okay? I don't know how to explain it. I just know how use it."

87 nods his head. He has no clue what she's talking about, but he'll just go along with it. Still, it always impressed 87 how Chirrut, despite being blind, always seemed to know how to pick him out of a lineup of Stormtroopers. He always used to guess that Chirrut could see 'in the way sighted people could not.'

"Anyway, How's Taz?" Rey asks, changing the subject.

"He's in pretty bad shape, but he's gonna pull through. But, not without some help."

Rey slowly nods her head. "Oh, hey. Uh... I don't know you're name."

"FN-2187."

"FN... What?" Rey squints.

87 shrugs. "It's the only name they gave me."

"Oh. That's should a shame." Rey says. "I'm sorry. But, I can't take it anymore. Can you take off your helmet, please?"

"My helmet? Why?" 

"Because I wanna get a look at the man I'm taking to." Rey says straightforward. "And you are a person. Not a number."

Reluctantly, 87 removes his helmet for her.

Upon seeing his face, Rey can't help but blushes and a small smile spreads across her face.

"Wow. I've never seen a stormtrooper without their helmet before." She says.

"Well, this is what I look like." 87 comments.

"Yes." Rey says, lost in his eyes. And it's true. Of all the 'troopers that she's come across, she has never see one, face to face (So to speak). But, here's one who has never been hostile towards her. Never been demanding of her. Has never treated her like a piece of meat. In fact, he's been nothing but nice to her. And it's so rewarding to get to see this 'trooper... no! This man who's so gentle and has a good heart. He's also not to hard on the eyes either. In fact, he's very... 

"...Beautiful." Rey whispers.

"Excuse me, what?" 87 asks.

Rey's eyes grow wide, horrify if he managed to hear what she just called him.

"You're not a number." Rey says. Nice Recover, Rey. "You're a person. And a person should have a name." Rey looks down in thought. "What'd they call you again?"

87 slowly responds. "FN-...2187."

"FN." Rey says. "FN. Do you mind if I call you..." Rey shrugs.

"...Finn?" She says slowly, trying to soften the big reveal.

"Finn?" 87 asks. "Finn." He tries it on for size. "Finn. Yeah. I... I like that!"

"Okay. Finn it is." Rey says with a smile. "It's nice to officially meet you, Finn. I'm Rey."

87... (Umm...) Finn (?) smiles. "It's nice to meet YOU, Rey." Rey smiles back.

 

 

Cleric hits the floor hard. His face bruised, scarred up, and covered in blood. He looks up to see a big, black, fist as it impacts his right cheek.

Mock stands over him, landed two more punches to his face.

"I DIDN'T KNOW!!" Cleric screams. "I DIDN'T KNOW HE WAS A P.O.W.!! HE WAS JUST ANOTHER FRESH FISH WHO WAS NEW IN LOCK UP!! HE WAS AN EASY TARGET! I JUST WANTED HIM FIRST!! I SWEAR!!"

"What you knew doesn't matter now." Mock says. "Because, in the morning, you'll be coming face to face with the man who owns the fella you raped."

Nines, who's been watching, looks up and frowns. "Kylo Ren's coming here?"

"Yeah. He's coming here." Mock says it like it was obvious. "Did you catch that when you were disobeying me, Nines?"

"No. I'd... I just assumed that you were going to him." Nines says, fear present in his voice.

"Nope. 'Fraid not." Mock says, turning back to Cleric. "And given on how I only found out about this little trip just late night, I think it's safe to say that he'll be more than pissed once he gets here. Which means very bad news for you, my new friend."

"What?" Cleric says through a broken nose. "I'm supposed to be scared of a Darth Vader knockoff?"

"Seeing as how he has powers, just like Vader did, I'd be shitting my pants, if I were you. Assuming you haven't already."

Mock leaves the cell. Nines watches him go.

"Oh, fuck." Cleric whispers. "I'm so fucked. I'm not gonna get out this. Oh, fucking hell, man!!"

"Hey." Nines says.

Cleric whimpers, blaming himself for not being able to control himself.

"Hey." Nines says, a little louder, getting Cleric's attention. "So, is that it? You're gonna spend what little time you've still got, curled up on the floor?"

"What the fuck you expect me to do, huh?! I mean, this fucking clown is gonna hacking me up and probably feed me to the others here on Pendulum."

"Hey. At least you'll be going out, chopped up by his lightsaber. That'll be a pretty cool way to go out, eh?" Nines says in a taunting tone.

Cleric just whimpers louder.

"Okay." Nines kneels down, patting Cleric on the back. "Okay. Okay. Bad time for a stupid joke. I should've been much more nicer. Okay. How about this? This isn't the way it could end. There's still a way you got to see yet another sunset."

Cleric lifts his head. "What? What do you mean?"

"You can survive meeting Kylo Ren. It's a risky move. Probably suicidal."

"What is it? Tell me." Cleric demands, desperately.

"Although, thinking about it, you'll still probably die either way." Nines mumbles to himself.

"Tell me."

"Not much of an incentive, looking back." Nines mumbles.

Cleric grabs his arm. "TELL ME!!!"

Nines looks him in the eye before looking down at his arm.

Upon feeling Cleric's grip tighten, Nines stares at his hand, frowning. He then looks back up to see that Cleric hasn't corrected his mistake.

Pissed that Cleric is still holding his arm, Nines punches him in the face, knocking back down to the floor.

DON'T EVER TOUCH ME, YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE! I'LL MAKE YOU SUCK ME OFF WITH NO TEETH!"

"Please!" Cleric pleads. "I don't wanna die this way. Please. You gotta help me. What do you want me to do?"

Nine stands straight up. "If I help you, You better to there to do something for me."

"Anything!" Cleric says with no hesitation. "Anything! Now... please..."

"The only one you're gonna survive a visit from Kylo Ren... Is to do the one that he won't be ready for: And that is to kill him."

 

 

In Commander Dawn's lodgings, sounds of moaning echo throughout the whole house.

In the living room, there sits messy plates and dirty glasses on the table. 

Upstairs, leading into the bedroom, there are clothes and pieces of Storm trooper armor scatter all over the hallway.

Inside the bedroom itself, Dawn lies on top of someone, kissing their lips as she straddles their hips.

A hand reaches around, grabbing her ass as Dawn leans back, now grinding on the one who owns that hand. (And that ass too, evidently.)

A woman sits up, kissing Dawn on the neck, moaning as she begins to suck on Dawn's titties.

"Hmm-mmm!" Dawn says as the Medic she was 'friendly' with earlier, is now flicking her dark nipples with her tongue. 

The Medic then grabs Dawn's other ass cheek and squeezes. Now, she has both hands on her woman's booty. And Dawn is just loving it.

"Fuck me, Dawn!" The Medic shouts.

"I am, baby!" Dawn says back.

"Fuck me... the right way." The Medic pushes Dawn off of her gently and leans back. She then opens her legs, smiling as she reveals her sweet center to Dawn.

Dawn's eyes go wide as she stares down at the Medic's clit. She begins breathing hard.

"You want it?" The Medic asks.

"You know I do." Dawn lustfully says.

"Then take it." The Medic says.

Not waiting to be told twice, Dawn places her own clit up against the Medic, holding one of her legs in the air as she grinds up against her lover.

"MMM! Yummy, yum! God, babe! I love the way you feel, Angel!"

"I love the way you fuck me!" Angel shouts. "Give it to me."

"Aw, fuck!" Dawn says, scissoring her harder and faster. Grabbing Angel's left leg harder, gently biting it as she feels herself getting dripping wet. "I love you, Baby!"

"I love you, too! God! I can't for this war to be over with! So, we can just be together! Keep Going, Honey! Please don't stop!"

Dawn grunts as she fucks Angel harder.

"My Queen! My Goddess!" Angel declares. "You're making me cum! You're making me cum!"

Dawn can feel her own organism getting close. She's so close to just erupting. "Oh, GOD, YES! OH, GOD, YESS!" 

**KNOCK!! KNOCK!! KNOCK!!**

But... Before either of them can come, there's a hard knock on Dawn's door.

Dawn stops, only to listen. When she doesn't hear anything, she goes back to fucking her lover.

**KNOCK!! KNOCK!!**

"Oh, who the fuck is that?!" Dawn wants to scream. She was so close!

"That Bitch!" Angel spits. 

Dawn gets up and puts on her robe.

"Go see who that is!" Angel says. "So, I could kick their fucking ass!"

"Way ahead of you!" Dawn says.

 

 

Stomping down the stairs, Dawn frowns while angrily mutters under her breath.

"...Who the fuck is it?!" Dawn swings the door open to see...

"Kylo Ren!" Dawn salutes. "Sir! I apologize. I didn't mean..."

"Take me to them." Kylo Mutters Angrily.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment and share your thoughts!


	7. A moment of levity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kylo Ren has arrived on Pendulum; Chirrut mentors Rey on how to use the Force for insight; FN-2187 goes into Reconditioning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poe Dameron has entered the Fray!

Angel sits, still naked, in bed. She stares out down the hall, listening to what sounds like someone arguing with Commander Dawn.

She gets out of bed and slips her clothes back on.

 

"Why haven't you collected my prisoners, yet?!" Kylo Ren demands, his mask making it difficult to understand him.

"Sir!" Dawn almost shouts. "The Prisoners are here and are all accounted for."

"Then, take me to them!" Kylo orders.

Dawn looks at him with fear present in her eyes. "But, Sir..."

"You're not about to give me an excuse, _Commander_." He spits. "Because if so, I'll be happy to show you what I think of excuses!"

"Dawn!" Angel calls down from the top of the stairs. "Are you...!"

Kylo's eyes suddenly shoot upwards towards her. Angel does the same.

Feeling his cold blooded glare on her, Angel goes stiff. "...Alright?"

Kylo just stands there, staring at her. Not moving a muscle. Not saying a word.

Dawn looks back down towards Kylo, frowning at him for staring at her girlfriend like he's trying to kill her with his gaze.

"Get out of here!" Kylo shouts through his teeth.

Angel races down the stairs, as if his words commanded her muscles into action. She stops only to briefly look at Dawn before sprinting out the door.

Kylo's eyes follow her until she was gone from his view. He then turns back to Dawn, who then stumbles backwards. "Commander. You have until Midnight to assemble my Prisoners for questioning, or you won't have to worry about what happens to your little medic friend. You'll be too busy getting the business end of my Lightsaber. Do you understand what I'm saying to you?"

"Yessir." Dawn says in a defeated tone.

Kylo then turns to leave, but stops to look at Commander Dawn. Again, not saying anything.

Dawn, realizing that she's just standing there, snaps to attention. "I'll need to put my clothes on first, Sir."

"You only have 5 hours left. You may do as you wish." Kylo says in a sarcastic tone.

Dawn nods her head and bolts back upstairs.

Kylo turns back towards the door to leave out, slamming it shut behind him.

 

 

**_Hours Ago..._ **

_"Okay. What do I have to do?" Rey asks Chirrut._

_Chirrut gestures a surprise. "You wish to know... Right now?"_

_"Yes." Rey says._

_"As in, right this moment?" Chirrut asks, just so that he's sure._

_"Yes, sir. While he's still in sight." Rey gestures to the retreating FN-2187._

_Chirrut nods his head. "Alright." He sighs._

_He steps forward, lifting his right hand upwards just slightly. His palm, open towards FN-2187. He closes his eyes, focusing on the Force surrounding him. "Can you sense him?"_

_Rey steps next to Chirrut and copies his moment. Tapping into the Force, she begins to search all of the surrounding Prisoners and Storm troopers, getting a feel of what's around her._

_Murder, greed, lust, vengeance, domination of others. It also makes Rey sick at the thought of so many people, reveling in their own misdeeds and sick desires._

_But, she can also sense: Loneliness, innocence, Mistreatment, never ending pain. Some many have suffered so much. And with no end in sight, many have remained strong, despite their circumstances. Others have contemplated ending their own lives, but are too scared to do so. And most have simply adapted to this way of life. But, all in all, people do what they have to, just to make it through the day._

_Growing anxious, Rey tries to zero in on one person: The Stormtrooper. Chirrut's friend. The one whose been nice to her._

_In just a few moments, Rey can sense that the Force surrounding this particular Stormtrooper is very strong. Whoever he is, he's very powerful. She can suddenly feel what he's feeling: Pain, sorrow, confusion, anger, lost, betrayal. All the things that the Prisoners are feeling. All the things that she's felt in her life._

_But, from what Chirrut has told her about him... And from what she's seen for herself, he doesn't harbor any ill will towards anyone. In fact, despite what he's gone through, she can sense that he has gone out of his way to help those who needed it the most._

_There's a light inside of him. A light so bright, it could be seen by anyone. Everyone, no matter where he is in the Galaxy. He's a good man with a gentle spirit. But, she still can't see his face._

_"I can see him." Rey says._

_"Outstanding!" Chirrut marvels. "In just under 24 hours, you have completely immersed yourself into the living Force. Tell me, how does it feel to you?"_

_"It feels unnatural." Rey says frightfully. "Like it's something that a person shouldn't have. Something that people should never have access to."_

_"Ahh. So, you also understand the severity of what such power can give someone."_

_"I understand what such power can drive people to do." Rey says._

_"Are you referring to those around us?" Chirrut wonders. Sensing her feelings, Chirrut shakes his head in realization. "No. It's him. You meant Darth Vader."_

_"I know people still think that he's still alive in some way. Like he's still haunting them, even though he's gone."_

_Chirrut frowns as he thinks back to when he had come face to face with Darth Vader._

_Before he was called 'Vader' by the Emperor, Chirrut knew him as 'Anakin Skywalker.' A promising young Jedi Knight, whose origins were unfamiliar to Chirrut himself, but he knew that The Jedi Masters referred to him as the 'Chosen One. The One who would bring balance to the Force. That's what many of them believed. So, it must have been a shock to their 'Chosen One' leading an army of Clone troopers into the Temple on Coruscant, not to protect it, but to destroy it. Order 66 has been given, decimating countless Jedi and those who were Padawans. Younglings, who were just starting to grow in the Force as they were growing in their own bodies._

_The Calamity that followed: The Empire that would come to haunt the Galaxy for almost two decades. A Calamity that would it was destroyed, should have stayed where it was: In the past. But now, with the Arrival of the First Order, Chirrut is disgusted that history has repeated itself._

_"Master Chirrut?" Rey calls out, snapping Chirrut out of his stroll down memory lane. "...Are you still with me?"_

_"Yes. I'm sorry, Rey. Sometimes I can't help myself when it comes to revisiting old memories. It's easy for me to get lost on the thought of things that I can never change now."_

_Rey looks at him with worry._

_"And... did you call me 'Master'?"_

_"Umm... Yes?" Rey says shyly._

_"I'm not a Jedi Master, Rey. Not anymore." Chirrut sighs. "So, do you think you can recognize that Stormtrooper the next time you see him?"_

_Rey wonders what could've happened to Chirrut for him to say that, but she won't question him_   _about that for now._

_"Yes. I think so. I, I, I can try to."_

_"Back in my day, I had a Master. Yoda. He used to say, 'There is no try. DO... or do not.' Reach out again, Rey."_

_Rey, still not feeling 100% confident in her abilities yet, simply nods and 'tries' again._

 

 

**Hours Later...**

Rey stares down into the large vats of molten durasteel, lost in thought.

"Wow." Finn says. "The Force. It's really something."

"Yeah. It is." Rey says, absent-mindedly.

"So, are you like... A Jedi?" Finn asks.

Rey then looks up at him, shaking her head. "No! I'm just... I..." 

"You just... know how to use it." Finn guesses.

"Yeah. I suppose." Rey says.

"So, would it be possible for you to..." Finn gathers his thoughts. "...I don't know. Move things around with your mind?"

Rey looks at him, a look of excitement in her eyes. "You know, I've never tried that."

"You should try it. It'll be incredible just to see that happened. Or maybe someone."

"Someone?" Rey asks. "Like... Who?"

"Like..." Finn looks around down at the lower levels. He spots a Stormtrooper eating his meal in the lounging area. "...Maybe that guy. FN-8961. That guy's a prick."

"What's his deal?" Rey leans slightly over the rails, getting a better look.

He has this thing for mistreating Elderly Inmates."

Rey groans. "He's disgusting!"

"You can tell from all the way up here?" Finn asks.

Rey looks back at him, her face saying it all.

"Okay. Well... Do you think you can get him to freak out?"

"Well, I could try." Rey taps into the Force.

 

 

FN-8961 eats away at his meal, unaware that his helmet, which is sitting on the table next to his right arm, is slowly hovering in the air.

But, when he just happens to glance over at it, He looks at it in wonder. "What..."

He pushes it back down on the table.

Rey then moves his dinner tray, sliding in across the table, away from him. His eyes go wide at this new phenomena.

He lunges at it on top of the table, grabbing it.

Finn snickers to himself as Rey smiles as she uses the Force to mess with the guard.

She then lifts the food off of the tray, and all FN-8961 can do is just watch it as it hovers towards the ceiling. He is completely stupefied as to what's going on around here. His mouth opens wide uncontrollable as his food only gets higher and higher into the air.

Rey then drops the food on top of '61's head. 

As he goes to wipe his face, and Rey makes the tray fly around his head, smacking him on the back of his head. She then makes the tray smack him repeatedly, forcing '61 to cover his head as he grunts in pain.

Finn, at this point, doesn't even try to contain his laughter. Rey smiles just as brightly as '61 yells for it to stop.

The tray flies across the room, slamming loudly on the floor. '61 looks over at the tray, still completely dumbfounded as to why it attacked him in the first place.

His helmet then flies towards his face, putting itself on the 'trooper. '61 tries to take it off again, but the damn thing won't budge. He tries and tries with all his might, but to no avail. He then tries ramming his helmet up against some lockers, again and again. But, still the helmet doesn't go anywhere. He then gets down on all fours, slamming his head against the concentrate floor.

He grunts crazily, like an animal.

Two stormtroopers, drawn over by all the noises, run into the lounge area to find one of their own, slamming his head down hard onto the ground over and over.

"FN-8961!" One of them shouts. '61 stops and looks up. "What the Fuck are you doing?!"

"My helmet won't come off." '61 whines.

The two 'troopers exchange looks, before the one on the right walks over and takes '61's helmet off with no effort.

"H... How..." '61 is cut off by the 'trooper.

"What have you been snortin', '61?" 'Trooper 1 asks.

"Is he... covered in gravy and mashed potatoes?" 'Trooper 2 asks 1.

"Yep. 'Stuffing his face', evidently." Trooper 1 answers.

"Maybe a few too many blows to the head, perhaps, maybe?"

"Well, whatever it is, it'll be taken care of in Reconditioning."

"Recon...? NO! I'm not crazy!" 61 shouts. "I couldn't take it off! I swear!" 61 pleads.

"You've been banging your head on the floor and you're covered in your dinner. Reconditioning is the best course."

NO!! WAIT! NOOO-AH!!!" 61 whines as they drag him away.

 

 

Finn and Rey laugh out loud to themselves. Finn leans up against the metal rails while Rey leans over, holding her knees.

"Oh, man!" Finn says, trying to stop laughing long enough to talk. "That was great, Rey!"

"Did you say the look on his face?! It was perfect!" Rey says, in between giggles.

Finn holds his stomach. "Whew! I needed that!" He chuckles. "So, I guess we now know that you _can_ move things around with your mind."

Rey looks up at Finn, realizing that he's right. "Yeah. Yeah, I guess I can. Thanks."

Finn puts his hands up, waving it off. "It was nothing. You did all the work."

"But, you encouraged me to try." Rey points out. "It means a lot to me, Finn."

"Well..." Finn says. "...You're welcome."

A person clears their throat. 

Finn then immediately puts his helmet back on. 

Rey looks over Finn's left shoulder to see a Stormtrooper standing there. Their hands on their hips.

"If she's done blowing you, 87. It's time for her to return to her cell."

Finn... Oh, that's right. It's FN-2187. 87 turns to face his colleague and salutes. "Yessir."

FN-2187 gently takes Rey by the arm and marches her towards the Elevator.

The 'Trooper sidesteps over to 87, grabbing _his_ arm.

"Not you, 87. It's time for you to get into Reconditioning." His superior says.

"Tonight?" 87 questions. "I'm not due until the end of the month."

"Tonight. Two weeks from now. What difference does it make?"

FN-2187 lowers his head. 

Rey can't see his face, but she can sense his sorrow.

"Well. Get a move on, Boy!"

"Yessir." FN-2187 gets into the other lift while Rey's 'escorting' 'Trooper heads towards the other one.

FN-2187 and Rey exchange looks until the doors shut in 87's face.

 

 

As Rey walks towards her Cell in block 'G', she looks over at a astro droid. It beeps, telling her to follow it.

Rey slows, trying to make sure of something.

The Droid only repeats itself and tells her that 'Phase two complete. Phase three under way.'

Rey gets a rifle shoved into her back.

"Get a move on, Girl!" The 'Trooper orders.

"Now?" Rey asks. "I'm not even tried yet."

"Just keep walking."

"I don't have to go back right now, do I? I don't often get to have a break." 

The Trooper stops, causing Rey to stop to.

"I want you to Imagine... for me for one second that I cared to know that." The 'Trooper says. "Done? Good. Now, move!"

Rey turns around, facing the trooper. "Can't you see what I trying to sell you?"

"Wha..." The 'Trooper says.

She wrapping her arms around the 'Trooper's neck. "I just want to have a little fun tonight. And since you get rid of that other guy, I guess that you'll have to do." Rey leans closer. "So, what do you say?" She asks in a seductive tone.

She can hear the 'Trooper's starting to breath harder.

"I'm not taking 'no' for an answer." Rey says. "Come on. Don't you think I'm cute? Do you wanna see what I've got under these clothes? Just how good I can make you feel? Come on. Don't reject me. Please?" Rey pleads quietly. "I don't wanna be alone right now. Are there any camera watching us right now?"

"N... No. But, there will be once we set foot in 'G'."

"So, let's not go to 'G'. Not just yet." Rey says. "Where can we go?"

The 'Trooper looks to his right, noticing the restroom isn't too far away.

"Restroom. Right over there."

Rey follows his gaze. "Ohhh! Plenty of times I get to ride you." She looks back at him. "Come on." She pulls him by one hand, gesturing him to follow her with a finger from her free hand.

She then lets go, swaying her hips slowly, looking back to make sure he's still following her. She smiles and looks forward.

Pushing the door open, Rey stands in the threshold, waiting for the 'Trooper to hurry up. "Hurry, Baby! I can't wait anymore."

The 'Trooper then  puts some pep in his step as he stands right in front of her.

"Get in here." Rey says, pulling him in by his collar. 

 

 

Once they're inside, Rey turns around to face the 'Trooper. Reaching around his waist, she claws desperately at his armor.

"I've got to get you outta this! Come on, baby! hurry!"

"oh-oh! Okay! Okay!" The 'Trooper says.

Rey drops to her knees.

The 'Trooper gasps as she looks up at him and smiles.

"Aren't you gonna take your mask off?" Rey asks.

The 'Trooper nods frantically and does just that.

"Now, just stand there. Don't go anywhere." Rey says.

The older man smiles lustfully until he hears a sound coming out of one of the stalls. He looks back down at Rey, who shrugs. And he looks down up to see a man swinging a stun baton towards his head.

But, before he can do anything, Rey punches him in between his legs and the other man knocks him unconscious.

The Man stands over the unconscious 'Trooper, spitting in his face. He then turns to face Rey. "Just in time, huh?"

"POE!" Rey shouts, wrapping her arms around his neck.

Poe laughs, holding her around her waist. "BB-8 told me that she saw you in the steel mill, but couldn't get your attention."

Rey pulls back. "She did?" Rey frowns. "I didn't see her."

BB-8 then rolls out of another stall, beeping ecstatically to see her friend.

"BB!" Rey shouts, kneeling down to hug her. "You were in the still mill?"

(Yep! I was undercover!)

"You were? Maybe that's why! I guess you were so busy, you couldn't come and get me."

(No! I actually was just free to roam around. But, I kept losing tract of you.)

"Yeah! They had me moving from place to place."

(And, when I found you again, you were walking off with a Stormtrooper.)

Poe frowns. "Did you force themselves on you?!"

"No, Poe! It wasn't like that."

"So, what happened?"

"I was talking with Chirrut and he told me that the Trooper BB saw me with was someone we could count on."

Poe's eyes go wide at that. "I see. So, you did find Chirrut."

Rey smiles. "I did! Told you I could!"

"I never doubted you!" Poe nods, smiling back. "Have you seen Taz anywhere? Is he anywhere close by?"

Rey's smiles fades.

Poe notices it. "Is he dead? Did you see it happen?"

"No. He's not dead. But, Poe... There are some things you need to know."

Poe folds his arms, frowning again.

 

 

FN-2187 walks into the Reconditioning Chamber, his head hanging low.

Rush, the Stormtrooper he replaced in Cell Block 'G', pats him on the back.

"Think of it as being reborn, 87." Rush says.

87 stops in his tracks and looks over at Rush. "Huh?"

"Whatever mistakes you've made. No matter how badly you've fumbled things up. It doesn't matter. Since you'll be able to get the psyche wiped clean, you won't ever have to worry about the many times you've screwed up around here. It's a little something we call a 'Second chance'. Or a third. Or a fourth. Maybe a fifth, y'know?" Rush cackles.

He pushes a button on the panel on the wall, causing the R.C. doors to open.

87 shakes his head at Rush and heads inside.

 


	8. Running short on time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The New Arrivals are gathered; Poe moves forward with his plan; Snoke and Kylo share concerns; FN-2187 is reconditioned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's Chapter 8!
> 
> Please enjoy!

The Sound of his communicator beeping rocks Warden OD-3477 out of his sleep. He stirs angrily as he reaches for the annoying device sitting on his nightstand.

The time on his chrono dial indicates that it's two hours from midnight.

With a frown, he presses a button and holds it up to his lips. "There'd better be a Goddamned good reason for wakin' me up so late!"

_"Warden! We've been instructed by Commander Dawn to assemble the Eleven new arrivals into the Interrogation center!"_ A voice says urgently.

OD-3477's (Mock's) brow raises at this news. He sits up in bed. "On who's orders?!" He demands.

_"Kylo Ren, Sir!"_ The Trooper reports.

"Ren?!" He asks, sounding troubled. "The Hell's he doing here?!"

_"I don't know, sir! I'm just doing as the Commander ordered."_ The Trooper says.

"That Fucking Asshole!" Mock mutters. "Always making shit more difficult that it needs to be." He rubs his forehead. 

_"Sir! I apologize if this is a bad time! I was just..."_

"It's all right." The Warden promises. "It's all right. You're right to do as instructed. Just... Where is the Commander right now?"

 

 

In the dark halls of Cellblock V, Storm trooper Commander FN-2201 (Dawn) marches up to that unit's control center, followed by four other troopers.

The Men are hard at work, sleeping, reading what's on their datapads screens, or watching some sort of ball game on their central monitor. Just as the team they're betting on makes a score, the men who are conscious stand to their feet and cheer!

At the same time, Commander Dawn and her troopers walk through the door. She looks around and is bothered by the lack of dedication that these men are displaying right in front of her. Seeing the men talking amongst themselves happily, she puts her hands behind her back and strolls up to them silently.

"What's the score?" She asks, fawning interest in the game.

"32 to 9! We're in the lead, kicking ass and collecting credit!" One trooper says, not bothering to look up at his Commander.

"Hmm!" Dawn hums. "Sounds like you boys got it good! Enjoying the game while making money off it."

"I know it! I can't think of anything better than this!" He says.

"I can. Serving my Supreme Leader to victory over all his enemies." Dawn stands up straight.

"Don't be such a stiff. You're ruining all the fun. Either just grab a drink and shut up, or shut up and get out!"

"I'll be sure to report that to the Warden." Dawn says.

"Go ahead! You can kiss my ass while you at..." He looks up and all the color immediately drains out of his face. He just insulted the highly decorated and galactic celebrated Commander FN-2201 aka "Dawn" of the FN-corps. 

"STAND TO ATTENTION!!" Dawn orders. The men turn to her with frowning face. But, just like that one disrespectful soldier, their faces straighten up and they all stand to their feet. TURN THAT STUPID SHIT OFF!!" They do as commanded. "WHAT IS THIS FOOLISHNESS ABOUT! WE ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF A WAR AND YOU ASSHOLES ARE SITTING BACK COMFORTABLY WHILE STORMTROOPERS ARE DYING AND DEPENDING ON US!!"

"Hey, lady! Shut up!" A trooper yells, having been rudely awoken from his sleep. Rubbing his eyes, he looks up and wishes he hadn't told her what he just told her.

"Or What?!" Dawn demands to know. She stalks over to him. The sleeping trooper raises to his feet. "What are you gonna do if I don't shut up?!"

"Nothing, Ma'am! Nothing! I didn't know it was you!" He whimpers.

"You didn't know?! How did you not know?! Do you always address your superiors in this fashion or just me?!"

"No, Ma'am! Neither!"

"Well, in that case, I guess you being an ignore fool is a great excuse! Gentlemen!" She addresses the four troopers that came in with her. "Have all of these men taken in for reconditioning!"

"NO! NO, PLEASE!!" They all pleaded. "WE APOLOGIZE, COMMANDER! IT WON'T HAPPEN AGAIN!"

"I know it. But, just in case, I think I'll go ahead and have you all commended anyway!"

"No, Commander!/"Please! Don't!"/"We'll do anything! Anything!"/"Just don't do that to us!"

"Fine. Each and every one of you will be assign to escort Kylo Ren around Pendulum during his stay here." Dawn says.

Not wanting to deal with that slap-happy bastard, the men quietly walk out of the room, followed by Two of the Commander's troopers.

"Yeah. I didn't think you wanted that, either." Dawn says to the 6 as they leave.

As they walk out, a First Order Engineer walks in. "Ma'am? You requested an operator?"

"I did." Dawn holds out her Datapad, which has a blueprint of the entire Prison. Certain areas are marked on Pendulum. "Get in touch with the other operators in Cellblocks A,D,G,K, and Z. I want a team of Stormtroopers in each of these locations, ready to bring these convicts to the Interrogation Center!"

 

 

In various cellblocks, armed Stormtroopers march in single file over to their assigned Prison cells. And one by one, the cell doors are opened from control panels and the Convicts are ready to be taken away.

I. The Human male thief from Cellblock A (Prisoner# 002184) is forcefully pulled out of his bunk, hitting his head on the durasteel floor, snapping awake and frozen in fear.

II. The Human Female saboteur, also from Cellblock A (Prisoner# 43651) was too busy staring at a picture of children (Hers, assuming) to notice that her cell door was opened and a team of troopers were coming in until they grabbed her and pulled her out, causing her to drop her picture to the floor.

III. The Female Iktotchi Stormtrooper Assassin from 'D', (Prisoner# 89921) was enjoying the silence when she was interrupted by troopers ordering her to keep her hands right where they could see them. Terrified, she gets to her feet and does exactly as they say.

IV. A male Ithorian is brought out of Cell Block D quietly as he is carried away by stormtroopers.

V. A Female Twi'lek, charged with an unknown crime, is forced to preform oral sex for her male cellmate when troopers came in, cracked the guy across the face with a rifle and ordered the Twi'lek to come with them.

VI. The Gungan fights, trying to escape from his arresting Stormtroopers, only to be knocked out by a riot baton to the face. Falling and hitting the floor hard, the Gungan is then dropped away by three of the stormtroopers, while the other two recovered of it's attack.

VII. Another human prisoner, Resistance combatant, tries to make a run for it. He managed to stun a couple of troopers before making a break for it, but he only succeeded in aggravating the rest as he gets stunned for his troubles.

VIII. Because no one told the storm troopers that the two droids that were brought in were programmed for offense, three stormtroopers had their weapons stole and then shot dead as a result. Also as a result, the three droids were fired upon, ending their mini skirmish once and for all.

 

 

 

"Seven Convicts were rounded up and two of them were put down." A saluting trooper reports to Commander Dawn.

"Unfortunately, but that's the better case scenario." Dawn responds. "What about the other two?"

"Well, one of them, A Taz Lisker, is currently recuperating in the clinic in Cellblock G and the other has been reported as seen in 'F', but hasn't made it to her cell yet."

'Oh! Not another one!' Dawn says to herself, fearing that the female prisoner (Rey) was being assaulted sexually. 'These poor women.' She looks back up at the trooper. "Report back to Kylo Ren. Let him know that his prized prisoners will be waiting for him."

"Yes, Ma'am!" A trooper says before walking away.

"May the Force have mercy on those poor souls." Dawn whispers, knowing full well of Kylo Ren's violent temper tantrums.

 

 

 

"Oh, man! Poor Taz!" Poe says, his head buried in his hands. He's leaning against the wall, standing in between two sinks. He shakes his head at the news that one of his best friends was attacked.

Rey's eyes water, sad that she had to be the one to tell him. She's leaning against the wall, by the dryers. "I don't know all the specifies, but he's in pretty bad shape. He's in the clinic in 'G'."

"Oh, these fucking animals." Poe's words are muffled, thanks to his hand over his mouth. "They're living in the worse situation, and instead of doing something to make things easier for others, they just indulge in their own vices. Are these _really_ the kind of people we're bleeding and dying for?! What is the point of that?!"

"Poe!" Rey says, trying to get his attention. "Hey!"

Poe sighs. "What?" He rubs his face.

"He's not dead. He can recover from this. It won't be easy, but you know Taz. You know he won't let this beat him."

Poe sighs again and drops his hand. He looks up at Rey and gives her the faintest sign of a smile. "Yeah. Taz is a fighter. He'll beat this."

"That's right. He will. Speaking of which, what's our plan for getting Chirrut and ourselves out of here?"

Poe stands up straight. "Well, Jess and Snap are currently in deep space, outside of Pendulum's global detection system, while Karé, myself, and Oddy are down here, making things happen outside the Faculties. We've got a solid plan and are all set to move out in the morning." 

Rey smiles, nodding. But, then she winces and leans over like she's got a migrate. 

"Rey? Rey, you alright?" Poe asks concerned.

"Yeah. No... There's someone here. Someone extremely powerful in the Force."

"The Force?" Poe asks confused. "Rey, what are you talking about?"

"I... I can't see his face. But, I can sense him."

"are you saying you can use the Force?! When did this happen?!"

"Poe, please! I'm trying to concentrate here."

"Sorry." Poe frowns. The person you're sensing... It's not... _Him_ , is it? Kylo Ren? I mean I know he's on Pendulum, but I'm not sure where. Could he be who you're sensing?"

"No. I mean, yes, I do sense him, but there's someone else. Someone who isn't on Pendulum, but I can feel him all the same."

 

 

 

Kylo sits in his ship, cross legged on the floor. He's removed his helmet and has entered a meditative state.

"Master?" He calls out. "Lord Snoke, can you hear me?"

"Yes, my young Apprentice." A deep, rumbling voice calls back out to Kylo. Despite being lightyears away, Kylo shutters as if he's standing right in front of him. His presence is so powerful, he can make a Force user tremble in fear. "Strange. That appears to be an awful lot of activity on Pendulum. Three Individual who are strong in the Force have been causing quite a disturbance in the Force."

"Yes. I have felt it as I approached the planet. But, I haven't be getting anything from any of them lately." Kylo says.

"Hmm." Snoke hums. "Is there idea who this individuals might be?"

"I know one of them is Chirrut Imwe. The Rebel from the days of the Empire."

"Chirrut. Yes, I remember him. He and his merry band of misfits, 'Rogue One'. But, is now just common criminals and the last reminders of the day the Rebellion turned the tide in the war. Hmm. General Organa is clever. She's been covering their tracks well over the years, hiding the cowards from the eyes of the empire, while spreading the lies of their deaths on Scarif. It's been a long time since anyone has heard of the Rogue One crew, and they've been in hiding for decades. But it's time. Time for them to answer for their transgression against the First Order. Whatever holes they were hiding in, they should have stayed there. Now, that the Resistance has located one of them, it seems that they are in desperate need of something."

"And the Stormtrooper, FN-2187? The one from my squadron on Jakku? What would you have me do about him?"

"I wouldn't too much about him. If Pendulum's Warden's last report is accurate, he should be in reconditioning as we speak. Stay focused on the last one, and have Imwe brought to me. I wish to end his life with my own hands. No one is worthy of that honor."

"Yes, Supreme Leader. All will be done as you commanded."

"See to it that it is." Snoke says. He then senses someone listening in. Someone young and... familiar. "Young Kylo, I'll be expecting an update in the morning. For now, you have other things to focus on in the present."

"Of Course. I'll speak to you again soon." Kylo says.

 

 

 

Sitting upon a throne in a red room is a horribly scarred and sickly looking man, wearing a black robe. He hangs his head and has his eyes closed. "Very good." Snoke ends his link with Kylo. He picks his head up and looks directly in front of him. "Is that you, girl? The one who escaped with that Resistance Pilot? I think that it is you. I cannot see you nor can I see where you are, but I know that you can hear me. Your path hasn't been set yet. So, for now, I'll make this belief. The time is coming for you to make a choice as to where you want your path to lead you. Now, that I know of your connection to the Force, you _will_ pick a side in this war. It's destiny. You cannot ignore your place in the galaxy. You don't have to choose now, but when that day arrives, you had better choose wisely. Fighting for me will gratitude you a future. But, fight against me, and you will know the full wrath of those who do. Think on it, child. Think on what you are willing to do."

 

 

 

Back in that restroom on Pendulum, Rey shakes as Snoke's words echo in her ears.

Poe, not sure what's going on, just stands there silently. A beeping of his wrist communicator draws his attention away from Rey.

"You got Dameron." Poe says.

_"Poe, we've got a bit of a situation out here."_

 

 

 

A young dark skinned woman with blonde hair is hiding herself from Stormtroopers as they march 9 prisoners to a large faculty away from the main one.

_"What is it, Karé ?"_ Poe demands _. "What's going on?"_

"It looks like the Prisoners that arrived here with Rey and Taz are been taken to what's known as the 'Interrogation Center'."

_"There are Interrogation center all over this Planet. What makes this one so special?"_ Poe asks.

"No idea." Karé confesses.

_"Do you see Taz there?"_

"No. I'm not seeing him or Rey." Karé bites her lip nervously  

_"No, don't worry. Rey's here with me. I don't have eyes on Taz yet, though."_ Poe says.

"Well, regardless, our escape plan is gonna have to change, Commander. Now, that Kylo Ren's here, there are more Stormtroopers around than Civilians."

 

 

 

 

_"We're gonna need another day of planning to get out of this rock, if we wanna leave in one piece."_ Karé says. 

"That would be fine, if we had another day to spare." Poe sighs in frustration. "Okay. I'll be leaving here with Rey in a little while. Stay out of sight and make me back at that tavern in Tori. We've gonna work on our technique a bit here."

_"Got cha."_ Karé says.

"No. I can't go." Rey says to Poe. "I need you to take me back to my cell."

"Rey, are you nuts? Who knows what happen to those poor people once Kylo Ren gets his hands on them. No, we gotta get you safety."

"You're not thinking, Poe. If they show up outside my cell, and they don't see me, we're not getting off of Pendulum anytime soon. Now, they don't know that you guys are here yet. You can still sneak around as a civilian. Or as a stormtrooper, now that you've got the suit."

Poe nods his head, agreeing with what she's saying. "You're right. Okay, uhh... I'll go check on Karé and Oddy, see how they're doing. Meanwhile, is there any chance you could reach out to Chirrut and maybe Taz?"

"Chirrut shouldn't be a problem. But, I'll need to get in touch with our new friend for Taz."

"Friend? The Stormtrooper you were talking about? I don't know anything about him. How do you know if we can trust him?"

"I just do." Rey shrugs. "He's a good man. I've seen it."

"Okay." Poe says, still not entire sure about this 'trooper yet. "We'll do it your way."

"Now, quick! Take me back to my cell! We don't have much time!"

 

 

 

Back in the Reconditioning chamber, light flash blindingly as the occupant, FN-2187 (Finn) is getting brainwashed and remade into a perfect Soldier.

Satisfied with the procedure, the Operator turns off the machine.

"FN-2187!" The Operator says via a microphone in the chamber. "Your reconditioning is now complete! How do you feel?" 

FN-2187 wonders if he such say something. If he should let someone know that he's been here more than a few times. But, everytime he leaves here, things have never really changed. He's still the same as he was the first time he went into Reconditioning. 

You see, Reconditioning has never really worked on FN-2187. He's not sure why. But, everytime he walks away, he's still the same old guy.

"Better." He lies. "Like... being born again. It feels like my mind is just as clear as it was years ago."

"Really? Let's find out." The Operator says.

 

 

 

Just like always, FN-2187 is put through the Ringer: Defining the enemy, identifying his targets, hitting his targets with perfect procession, Quoting his pledge to serve Supreme Leader Snoke and the First Order, etc. and so forth.

 

 

 

Leaving the chamber, he heads back to his room and finds that his friend Slip has been waiting up for him. "87? Are you doing okay?"

"Honestly, Slip. I don't know anymore." FN-2187 answers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment and share your thoughts!

**Author's Note:**

> Please Comment and Share your thoughts!


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